


Wild Hearts

by wolfenboy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-11 08:39:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13520607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfenboy/pseuds/wolfenboy
Summary: In the aftermath of the hunter wars the pack begins to rebuild, but Theo finds the consequence to taking Gabe's pain has opened old wounds and memories that have been long buried. Theo struggles to face the demons of his past Liam is put into the role of alpha as the remaining packs converge and decide what to do with the remaining chimeras--deeming them too powerful and dangerous to be allowed to exist.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Let's go an a magical, crazy adventure! This one will be a bit longer and complex. And there's some violence and blood (as usual) and so graphic scenes (eventually) but nothing explicit. A mix of fluff, angst, and insane original ideas building off of what's there for the most part!
> 
> Brett is alive because it's just a fact. So deal with it ;)

Theo sank to the floor, the weight of what he’d just done dragging him down. He didn’t feel the turmoil most people felt inside—it had been washed away after years and years of training and experimentation at the hands of the Dread Doctors. It had been so long since he’d felt anything real that when he did it came to him as a distant, alien sensation. He never planned on the closeness of Scott’s pack to penetrate the numbness he carried with him every day, but it had. 

Liam in particular had somehow been able to get past his barriers and defences. The only response that had kept the beta at a distance had been violence and anger. But Theo had been running out of both—the more he was around Liam the more the urge to protect him was drawn to the surface, to the point where he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hide it any more. And now he had done the one thing that cut through the numbness, cut through the isolation he wore with stubborn pride. The last clinging reminder of the monster that he was.

They made it seem easy, all of them. Taking pain looked as simple as breathing. He had tried it with Mason out of reflex—keeping the human alive was his responsibility after all. Mason’s tone cut him deep for some reason. 

_You can’t take pain if you don’t care._

What did he mean? Theo cared about staying alive. Theo cared about surviving. Keeping Mason safe would help with both of those things. But that wasn’t what he meant, Theo knew it now. He knew it as soon as they stood in the aftermath of the carnage, watching Gabe bleed to death on the floor, scared eyes searching for meaning somewhere, anywhere, and finding Theo. His heart lurched as the boy met his eyes. There was so much blood, so much pain and the smell of fear. But this was not some scared animal waiting to be eaten in the forest, this was a human being. Without thinking Theo felt his knees bend, taking Gabe’s arm in his hands.

In a way he had done it before—none of them knew that. Deucalion had taught him, even if it had been a plot by Scott to blindside him. He had learned.

_Pain. Life. Power. In that order._

This was similar, but different. He’d seen them all take pain so easily, but he felt his insides twist and turn. His heart ached. Fluttered. Hammered against his ribs as if they were a cage. Maybe chimeras weren’t meant to take pain this way. He doubted the Dread Doctors had taken that into consideration when they’d created him. In the end he didn’t have to force it, he simply let go. The pain moved into him, drawn to his strength as if it knew he would be able to bear it. He felt Gabe relax immediately. He felt the spark of life just beyond the pain—the same spark he had taken from his friends in an other lifetime. He held on, drawing the pain that made that dim spark flicker. As the black veins travelled up his arms Theo felt that small spark go still, burning its last undisturbed by the harsh wind of pain.

When Gabe finally died it was with a look of peace. Theo didn’t understand why he’d done it, why his body had moved without a second though, when he should have been heading in the opposite direction, or feeling smug about his victory over the people that wanted them all dead so badly. The answers confused him, slipping through his grasp when he tried to pin them down. Even the numbness that protected him had faded. The only thing he had was the pain. Gabe’s pain. His pain. Tara’s pain. It made him real, grounded him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, saw Melissa and Nolan kneeling down by Gabe. The scent told him that it was Liam who was guiding him out and away. Guiding him to his truck and closing the door. They watched as police cars pulled up, followed by firetrucks and ambulances. Dozens of people running around. Theo made a fist, letting his claws dig into his palms. The smell of blood distressed Liam. He took Theo’s hand in his, trying to pry the claws free.

‘Don’t.’ Theo said through clenched teeth. He turned to look at Liam, hoping the beta could read his expression.

Liam nodded and let go of Theo’s hand. The blood continued to flow, wounds not getting the chance to heal. The pain tore through him, barbs and hooks tearing at every secret, vulnerable spot inside. Dragging out old memories and fears. Theo bit his lip, drawing blood. It hurt worse than breaking a bone, or wolfsbane. It hurt worse than going to hell.

‘How can I help?’ Liam whispered, watching the chimera suffer.

‘Nothing. I need it to hurt.’ Theo said. He felt Liam draw back, lingering on the other side of the truck. He could smell the concern coming off of him. As much as Liam lashed out at Theo, and often as he made snide comments or insults, the beta was always a hairsbreadth away from trying to help him. Trying to save him from something Theo hadn’t been able to figure out.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the pain that came with the end of a life. He didn’t know if it was stronger because of that, or if this is what it always felt like. He was vaguely aware of Scott knocking on the window and calling Liam out to talk about what had happened in the hospital. It took everything to keep the tears in, but they slipped out from the corners of his eyes. He didn’t know if they were because of Gabe’s pain or his own. He didn’t know anything anymore—nothing was solid. Everything had shifted and as much as he kept trying to force things back into place they refused to move. There was no way he could face Liam like this, or Scott. Except he knew if he opened his eyes they would both be standing there, watching him through the window of the truck as he came undone. It was too difficult to focus in on their words, but he could smell them both—the hesitation mixed with concern from the alpha, and the worry from the beta.

Theo was surprised when Liam climbed back into the truck, closing the door.

‘Keys.’ Liam said. Theo glanced at his jacket draped over the seat between them. Liam searched, finding the keys and then starting the truck.

They drove in silence. The farther away they got from the hospital the colder Theo felt—like a piece of him had been left there to die. Maybe it had. Maybe that’s how taking pain really worked, by giving a part of yourself to someone else. He wasn’t sure, but by the time they pulled into Liam’s driveway Theo felt hollowed out. 

In the end even the pain abandoned him.

###

Sunlight was coming through the window, warming his face. Theo opened his eyes slowly. The feel of a real bed beneath him told him he was in someone’s house. A quick inhale carried Liam’s scent. It was hard to describe in human terms—something like the smell of the earth after a fresh rain fall. Something primal and pure, mixing with sweat and emotion.

A noise caught his attention. He used his elbows to prop his body up enough to look over the edge of the bed, finding Liam curled up on a sleeping bag two feet away. The teen moved in his sleep, blanket sliding off and exposing his chest. Theo felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight. He sputtered, struggling to get control and figure out what had happened. Before he could stand Liam was hovering over him, slapping him on the back, making Theo cough louder.

He waved Liam back, glaring as the beta hovered at the edge of the bed.

‘You okay?’ Liam asked.

‘I was until you started to wail on me.’ Theo managed after he got his breath back.

‘You were choking! I was saving you!’ 

‘Maybe next time let me choke.’ Theo muttered.

‘You’re welcome.’ Liam said, scratching his chest. Theo forced his eyes away. The ghost of pain flickered every time he closed his eyes. Sometimes memories of Tara, memories of the Dread Doctors were hiding there. He kept his eyes open—there was no way he could deal with any of that an still function. He wasn’t sure he’d even be able to continue putting up his usual front now, not without the apathetic numbness that protected him. There were too many feelings. Too many memories to sort through and process. 

‘Theo?’ Liam was sitting beside him, a worried look on his face. The beta had pulled on a shirt and sweatpants in the several minutes Theo had been spacing out. His subtle jabs at the chimera got no response. Theo looked dazed. Liam reached out, resting a friendly hand on Theo’s shoulder. The boy flinched, body moving away with enough agility to tell Liam that it was muscle memory more than a conscious effort. Theo pulled the covers over his head.

‘Go away.’

‘Theo. You’re on my bed. In my room. Inside of my house.’

‘How you failed geography we’ll never know.’ Theo muttered. Liam clenched his fists—he had tried to be nice, especially after seeing how much taking Gabe’s pain had messed the chimera up. Even Scott had been worried. Theo wasn’t quite pack, but he was an ally, and the alpha had told him to watch Theo. Taking pain the first time had a big kick and linger side effects but clearly they had worn off.

Liam growled and pulled the blanket off of Theo. The chimera pulled the pillow over his head.

‘Theo get your ass out of my bed.’

Liam ripped the pillow away. He let it drop to the floor as he caught Theo’s scent.

_Confusion. Frustration. Anxiety._

__

__

_Fear._

‘Theo, what’s wrong?’

‘You’re a douchebag is what’s wrong.’

‘Okay, now I know something is wrong because that insult had like zero teeth. All gums there, Raeken.’ Liam sat on the bed. Theo moved away. Liam got closer. Theo moved farther away. Liam frowned and used his hand to pin Theo’s arms in place while he pressed the back of his hand to Theo’s forehead. The chimera turned red, looking like he was about to explode in anger.

Liam moved away.

‘No fever.’

‘I’m a damn chimera, Liam!’ Theo yelled, throwing the last pillow at an unsuspecting Liam. It his the beta in the face with enough force to knock him down. As Liam struggled to his feet the sheets and blanket were thrown over his head as Theo bolted.

‘I’m using your shower.’

Liam finally got to his feet, tossing the bedding back on the mattress. He could hear the sound of the shower running before he could take a single step.

‘Yeah, sure. Just make yourself at home.’ Liam bit his lip, pacing around the small space. Something was definitely wrong, and there was no way he was going to get it out of Theo, not while he was still his usual annoying self. He thought about calling Scott, but the alpha was recovering from his battle—Liam could handle Theo. He’d told Scott that much last night. After all, Theo was technically still his responsibility. And it wasn’t like he hated Theo. Usually. The chimera was actually a skilled fighter. It was almost eerie how well they synced up in the fight against Monroe’s hunters. Outside of battle Theo became an insufferable jerk.

Despite that there had been inconsistencies in his behaviour. Mason told him that Theo had tried to take his pain in the tunnels. And his repeated attempts to protect Liam hadn’t gone unnoticed by the beta, or Scott. Or the rest of the pack. Even after being rebuffed by Stiles, Malia, and Scott himself that his actions wouldn’t make them forget what he’d done and let him into the pack, Theo still acted out of character.

Then again, Liam wasn’t sure it was in character for Theo to be an asshole all of the time. None of them really knew what he was like, except for Stiles and Scott, but that had been almost ten years ago. People could change a lot in that amount of time. Especially ones that had been raised by a group of evil, paranormal scientists. Liam frowned, how had that even worked? Did Theo have a normal room with posters and toys and video games? It didn’t seem likely.

He sat on the edge of the bed. How was he going to handle Theo? It wasn’t ideal being saddled with the burden of Theo Raeken after a life or death ordeal. But Theo had saved his life. Even if he was as prickly as a cactus right now Liam would put up with it, at least until Theo was back to his normal self. Whatever that meant.

###

Theo sat on the edge of the tub, listening to the shower. The sound of the water running was soothing for some reason, drowning out the sounds and smells of the world. He closed his eyes. He needed to get a grip and fast. 

_No teeth. ___

____

His words had no teeth. No bite.

Theo ran his tongue across his teeth, the tips of fangs elongating. Teeth.

He shook his head. What was happening to him?

The steam of the shower covered the small window to the outside along with the mirror. It filled the room, blanketing everything in a wet heat. He felt it tug at the back of his mind—a memory wanting to be seen. Teeth and steam and iron bars. His chest tightened. He could feel it lurking in the shadows of his mind, freed by the bolt of pain he had willingly taken. The sound of the water filled his senses—he focused everything on it, letting it carry everything away. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes stretched out into hours, then into a sense beyond time. He was vaguely aware of Liam knocking on the door several times. He could hear the werewolf’s footsteps as he paced up and down the hall. 

When Theo opened his eyes the water was cold and the steam was little more than fog around the edge of the mirror. He opened the door to a frowning Liam holding clean clothes. He gave an odd look—the chimera wasn’t wet and he stank of fear. Theo forced a smirk to his face and grabbed the clothes.

‘You’ve been in there all day!’ Liam said.

‘What service.’ Theo said, disappearing back into Liam’s room, closing the door before he could react. The beta trailed him, stopping in his tracks when he couldn’t turn the door knob.

‘Theo, did you just lock me out of my own room?’

‘Looks like it.’ Theo said from inside.

Liam growled. He could rip the door open but that wouldn’t go over well with his parents. And he didn’t have enough money to offer to pay for it even if he got annoyed enough to rip it from the hinges.

‘Theo, what the hell is going on?’ Liam asked, pressing his ear to the door before realizing he could just focus his hearing to pick up anything on the other side of the door. Theo was being suspiciously quiet. Liam focused harder, pouring everything into hearing what the chimera was up to. No breathing. No heartbeat.

‘Theo?’ Liam asked, worry seeping into his voice. He gripped the knob again.

‘Theo, man, you okay?’ No answer. Screw it.

Liam pushed, tearing the doorknob out of its socket in the process—the room was empty. Theo’s clothes were on the bed and the clean ones were gone. The wind tugged at the edge of the curtain through the open window.

‘Well this isn’t good.’ Liam muttered. He leaned out the window. Theo’s truck was still parked in the driveway and the light was on.

Liam bolted down the stairs and pushed the front door open, jogging to the blue truck. He looked inside to find Theo sitting in the back seat, hoodie pulled over his head.

‘Theo?’ Liam tapped gently on the window. The chimera flinched.

‘Go away.’

‘We just did this.’

‘And I still want you to go away.’ Theo mumbled.

Liam pulled the handle, surprised to find it open. He slid into the driver’s seat, closing the door gently. He craned his neck around to look at Theo. The boy’s face was covered by his hoodie, draw string pulled tight. A blanket covered the rest of his body.

Liam turned around, gripping the steering wheel. He didn’t know what to do, and nothing he said seemed to make a dent in Theo’s snide defences. So he sat there. The sound of their breathing filled the cab. Liam shifted every minute or so, getting comfortable. Theo didn’t move at all, something Liam thought was a bit odd, but he had never been so close to the chimera when he was… whatever he was right now.

‘The light.’ Theo said.

‘What?’

‘Turn off the light.’

Liam fumbled, pressing the interior light to turn if off. The light of the moon was softened by thin clouds. Theo’s breathing slowed along with his heartbeat. Liam dug at the tear in his jeans.

‘I don’t know what to say.’ Liam said.

‘Then shut up.’ Theo kept his voice low, like he was a kid afraid of being caught by an overbearing parent.

‘I was going to say “I don’t know what to say so I’m just gonna talk and you can listen”.’ Liam scowled, looking at Theo through the mirror. The chimera gave no indication he heard or even cared.

‘What you did back there for Gabe, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.’ Liam said. Theo snorted. ‘I’m serious, Theo. I don’t think any of us could. Well, except maybe Scott. But he sees the best in people, even when the rest of us can’t. My point is, you saw that. In Gabe. You saw something, whatever it was, and it made you care enough to take his pain. Do you know what that means?’

‘I’m an idiot, just like the rest of you.’

Liam thought for a minute. He could feel Theo tense up, sense his hesitation.

‘Exactly.’ Liam said.

‘I didn’t mean to do it.’ Theo said, ‘So don’t think I’m redeemed or whatever I know Scott will try to make this into.’

‘You didn’t mean to take the pain of the guy who was aiming a submachine gun at you. The guy who was bleeding on the floor after he tried to kill you. The guy who wouldn’t have done the same if he could. And you know it. So don’t bullshit me. It wasn’t an accident.’

‘I didn’t say accident.’ Theo muttered. ‘I said I didn’t mean to do it. I just… saw him there and I moved without thinking.’

‘What did you see, when he was laying there?’ Liam asked, looking in the rearview mirror. It was too dark to gauge Theo’s reactions but his usual control over his heartbeat wasn’t there.

‘I saw… I don’t know.’

‘Scott can take anyone’s pain. I asked him about it, how he could manage to care about everyone so much. Even people that hate him. He said you have to look for yourself in them, and if you find that you can care about anyone.’

Theo held his breath. Was that it? Had he looked into those desperate, dying eyes and seen himself? Gabe was nothing like him. Gabe was weak. Gabe was a failure.

Liam heard Theo’s heart skip a beat. The scent of anxiety coming off the chimera was strong.

‘Theo, why are you out here? You know you can crash in my room again.’

‘You snore.’

‘I do not—!’ Liam closed his eyes and inhaled. Getting worked up wouldn’t help anything. ‘One, I don’t snore. Two, you’re avoiding the question.’

Theo didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer. He didn’t know what to tell the beta—he was on a rollercoaster of crazy emotions that made him want to crawl into a cave like a sick animal and die there alone? Didn’t exactly roll off the tongue. He wished Liam would go away. He wished everyone would go away. No one could see him like this. Vulnerable. Weak. Pathetic.

He twisted in his seat, feeling old memories press into him like cold fingers. They tore at him without resting—sensations linked to everything that had made him who he was, that had trained him and shaped him into a weapon. A success, they had said.

_Theo Raeken. Failure._

That wasn’t true. That was a lie. He didn’t care anyway—the Dread Doctors had used him to reach their goal just like he had used them.

Except he had no pack. Had no alpha. Had no power. Theo looked down at his hands. He had nothing. There was nothing left now. No one left. Just invisible scars that held together all the pain and terror he had caused over the years. The things he had done to Scott’s pack was only a small grain of sand in the desert of death he’d been collecting since he was nine.

_Failure._

He gritted his teeth together. He sat up suddenly—he needed to move, to run, to shake the phantoms off. He got half way when his head collided with Liam’s, knocking both of them backwards.

‘What the hell?!’ Theo hissed through his teeth.

‘I thought you were dead! Or sleeping?’ Liam whined, rubbing his head. Theo stared at him. Liam looked like a kicked puppy sulking in the dark, hair sticking out everywhere. Theo felt the laugh slip past his lips before he could stop it. Liam pouted more. 

‘You look—‘ Theo caught himself. He frowned. The look on Liam’s face had driven away the old memories, leaving Theo feeling cold and empty. But that stupid look…

‘I was just trying to help.’ Liam said.

‘Okay.’ Theo whispered. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but something told him to let go, even if it was just to keep the past at bay.

‘Okay?’

‘Yeah.’ Theo said, pushing his hood back. They sat in silence for several seconds as Liam studied Theo’s face.

‘What now?’ Theo asked.

‘I didn’t really think that far ahead.’ Liam confessed.

‘Great. Let’s do this again sometime.’ Theo said, pulling his hood up and turning away from Liam.

‘Scream!’ Liam blurted out.

‘What?’

‘Uh, there’s a Scream movie marathon on. We could watch that.’ Liam said, words tripping over each other as he spoke as fast as he could.

Theo peeked out from under the hood, eyes narrowing.

‘I’ll make popcorn. We can just hang out. That’s all.’ Liam said.

‘No twenty questions?’ Theo asked.

‘Swear to god. Or whatever you swear to. I mean. Because you… you’re. Yeah.’ Liam licked his lips. He couldn’t remember the word, but Theo knew what he meant. The chimera raised an eyebrow. Liam knew his own heart was beating faster than normal. He was nervous he wouldn’t be able to help Theo.

_And he’d get rejected. ___

____

____

That wasn’t true. Theo was always making fun of him. Pushing him away. Making him angry. He didn’t care what the chimera thought about him—Theo was a dick. Granted, he was strong. And fast. And had pretty eyes.

Liam frowned. Theo interrupted him before he could dwell on his last thought.

‘Okay.’

‘Okay, like you’ll come in and watch TV with me or okay, I’m going to pretend to come in and watch TV but I’m going to lock you out of your room again?’ Liam asked.

‘The first one.’ Theo said, ‘But I’m changing the channel if it’s lame.’

###

Theo didn’t know if the films were lame or not. He didn’t really pay attention beyond the first ten minutes of the first one Liam put on. He was preoccupied with the way Liam smelled—unwashed but not awful. Just more Liam than usual. Maybe a bit of stale sweat. He sat a few feet away, but as the films went on he kept leaning closer and closer. Nothing overt, but something Theo chalked up to the innate touchy-feely nature of werewolves. It seemed like they alway needed to be close to their pack mates. It wasn’t something Theo had ever cared for—he’d endured it when he was trying to engrain himself in the pack and pull off his coup. After that ended he’d given up on all pretences. Even among his resurrected pack he’d shrugged off any and all attempts at physical closeness. It was a useless trait that didn’t contribute to survival or his end goals. But now with Liam practically leaning on him, he felt a sudden urge to cozy up to the boy in a away that most human teenager would find highly questionable, but in werewolves it was part of their need for safety and connection.

Theo grunted as Liam shifted his weight.

‘You’re squirming. Stop squirming.’ Theo said. Liam had eaten most of the popcorn. Theo had no appetite but ate enough of it to satisfy the beta. 

‘I’m trying to get comfortable.’ Liam protested.

Theo huffed and dropped sideways, making space for Liam to fit next to him and pressing their bodies together. The beta calmed instantly. Theo went into high alert.

‘You okay?’ Liam asked.

‘Fine.’ Theo said, forcing his heart to calm. Every instinct screamed at him to push Liam away and to maintain his perimeter. It was dangerous to let people so close.

Theo strangled the notion before his body could obey and settled in beside Liam, though somewhat stiff in contrast to Liam’s relaxed posture. It was better to fight off the urges to flee than to deal with the memories he knew Liam was somehow keeping at bay.

As they settled into watching the film Theo felt the chaos inside die down. Liam’s skin was warm, and his gasps of surprise when something obvious was revealed were… endearing. Which Theo found confusing. He’d admired the raw strength Liam had when they’d first met and had looked forward to molding the beta into a powerful weapon to keep at his side. Then he enjoyed winding Liam up and pushing his buttons because he knew he could. And after the prison the skin walkers had made for him, he used the same tactics to keep Liam a respectable distance. A distance that had been closed by an awful horror movie marathon and a bowl of popcorn. 

Liam shifted, getting to his feet. He noticed Theo’s heart speed up and reached out, resting a calloused hand on the chimera’s shoulder in reassurance.

‘Gotta pee!’ Liam said before jogging to the bathroom.

Theo started to mull over the fading warmth Liam had left behind when the boy’s phone vibrated on the cushion next to him. He scanned the screen—Scott had been blowing up Liam’s phone with texts. Most of them about Theo, asking if the chimera was okay.

Theo opened Liam’s phone, not surprised when there was no passcode to lock it. He typed a quick reply. Liam came back smelling like hand sanitizer, tilting his head as Theo dropped the phone back on the couch. He thought the beta would find a spot a few feet away, but instead Liam took his place at Theo’s side again, wiggling in until he was comfortable.

Liam looked at the text Theo had send:

**Theo’s fine. Watching TV. Unwinding.**

Liam glanced up at the older boy. Theo’s eyes were fixed on the screen as the next film started. Theo was everything but fine. Something was very wrong. Wrong enough to send the big bad chimera hiding in his truck with the lights off like a frightened child.

Liam set the phone down. He promised Theo they were just going to hang out, and so far it had worked better than anything else Liam had tried. They were just going to watch bad movies until three in the morning and fall asleep.

He felt Theo shift beside him, then felt the chimera’s arm resting on his shoulders. He was used to being the one who draped the arm. Then again he’d only ever gone out with girls. Not that this was a date. This was a helping-Theo-adjust thing. Event. Occurrence. Still, the weight and warmth of Theo’s arm was welcome and he leaned into it, earning a soft grunt from the older boy.

‘Am I squishing you?’ Liam asked. ‘I can move if I’m squishing you.’

‘You’re not squishing me.’ Theo said.

‘Are you sure?’

‘I’m very sure, okay? You’re not squishing me.’

‘Okay. But you have to tell me. You can’t lie.’ Liam insisted.

‘Liam—if you’re squishing me you’ll be the first to know. Trust me.’ Theo said. ‘Now can we watch the movie?’

‘Why do they always wear masks? The killers I mean.’ Liam nibbled on the last kernels of popcorn.

‘So we don’t know who they are.’ Theo said.

‘Yeah but like, why in the world of the movie do they do it? There’s like, no reason.’ 

‘Maybe they’re ashamed.’ Theo said. ‘Maybe they hate themselves for what they’re doing but they can’t stop because they’re all twisted up inside and it’s all they know.’

Liam was silent. Theo turned to him, frowning.

‘What?’

‘Is that how you feel?’ Liam asked. Theo was suddenly on his feet.

‘I’m going to bed.’

‘Oh. Okay. Um, goodnight.’ Liam said as Theo climbed the stairs. He didn’t mean to get personal, he was just confused about the mask thing. But then Theo had to start talking and saying things without saying them outright. Maybe he was wrong and Theo was really into the movies. That seemed farfetched. Theo had to be talking about himself, there was nothing else that made sense. 

Liam hated feeling bad for Theo. Theo was an asshole. Except maybe he wasn’t. Or maybe he wanted everyone to think that he was an asshole so they’d leave him alone. That seemed too complex. But then again Theo did have a history of hatching devious plots. Not lately, but still.

The older boy didn’t stir when Liam creeped into his room and shut the door quietly. He found his sleeping bag on the floor and groaned inwardly—at least his healing would help with the stiff neck he’d have in the morning.

###

Theo didn’t dream every night but when he did it was always the same. Alone in the hospital with Tara. Over and over and over. Repetition did nothing to dull the edge of the experience, even though it was a pale reminder of the hell he had been to. This time was different. Tara was nowhere to be seen. He was in the tunnels, and he was small. A child running, listening to the echoes, stalking his prey. He could feel the frequency of the Dread Doctors in his back teeth as he crouched low to the ground. The scent he was following stopped here—another child. Teeth and claws. Steam filling the tunnels, making sweat drip from his skin.

He was hunting, and he was winning. Blood made a path for him to follow, and Theo could feel the encouragement of the Dread Doctors behind him. This wasn’t something he remembered doing, but it felt real, like it had happened. Not just a dream.

The tunnels twisted and bled together into a maze that folded in on itself. The insistent clicking of the Dread Doctors echoed everywhere, instructing, coaching, directing. Theo felt his claws slide out, one hand only. He knew, he felt, the other hand had no claws yet. That’s what he was hunting for. Searching for. The voices seeping into his mind, telling him to take what what his and become stronger. To take his rightful place and power.

He felt strong. The old sensations of childhood had been wiped away with every painful operation, every session he had in the operating theatre. His breathing was clear, free of asthma. His muscles were strong and his feet were fast. No one would leave him ever again. No one would make him feel weak. Make him feel small. He grinned. It was fun to be strong—if the boy he was hunting was smarter or faster then he would get away. If he was weak then he would become Theo’s prey. And the machine men would take the parts they wanted to add to his strength.

He paused. The machine men. A child’s observation. When had they first appeared to him, how had they found him? Questions he didn’t have the answer to. Instead he was forced to watch as his younger self stalked the shadows, intent to kill in his eyes. Had they lured the other boy down there? A born werewolf caught in a trap? Or had it been bad luck that brought him to the tunnels and his mentors turned it into an opportunity?

The boy was afraid. Theo could smell it even in the memory. The sights, the sounds, and awful scent of the machine men had frightened him at first, too. But they had picked him. Chose him out of so many. Made him better. Stronger. The born werewolf caught in the tunnels was not so lucky. Theo watched as his younger self came across him. The words they exchanged muffled and unclear. He wanted to look away when the attack started, because that’s what it was—the other boy didn’t fight back. He didn’t know how. He was soft. He was weak.

Theo was drawn to the violence and repulsed by it at the same time. This was something he had done. This was something he had willingly done. He could feel the justification coming from his younger self—this was necessary. This was needed. This would make him even stronger.

The scent of blood made a pit in his stomach as he watched his younger self stand over the body. One hand tipped in claws, dripping red. The other hand human and clean. This was one of the first memories after he had been reborn into the world a something better than human. Better than a supernatural creature. The boy that he was turned, looking down the tunnel into the shadows. He met Theo’s eyes, head tilting.

‘Who are you?’ The voice was small, unsure.

Theo took a step back. The boy’s eyes narrowed—any hesitation would be taken as a sign of weakness. When a person was weak it was important to press forward to maximize your advantage. He felt the teaching ripple through his mind and the boy stepped forward, ready to kill again.

‘This isn’t real.’ Theo said.

The boy snarled, fangs uneven. Incomplete.

_Failure._

‘I’m not a failure.’ His voice echoed from every direction.

_Theo Raeken. Failure._

__

__

_FAILURE._

Theo turned, trying to find the machine men. The Dread Doctors. They’d helped him. Given him so much. They wouldn’t abandon him. He was special, no matter what they said. He was chosen for this.

He was small again, looking down at his hands—one clawed and one human. He looked down at the body beneath him. A name came to the tip of his tongue before he swallowed it along with the guilt and tears. He had known this boy. He had known him. And he had killed him.

He stepped back, away from the blood and the death. Behind him something solid and cold and grasping. Fingers. Hands. Teeth. Steam. The darkness. Biting and biting and biting until teeth broke and the taste of copper filled his mouth.

Theo pushed it all away, pushed it all down. His feet moved, but the faster he went, the more he struggled the more he was pulled towards the shadows. He reached out for someone to help him. For Tara to help him.

His hands grasped nothing but air as the darkness swallowed him whole.

###

‘Theo!’ Liam’s voice was loud. He could feel the beta’s hands gripping his shoulders, claws digging into flesh.

‘Theo calm down! You’re okay!’

‘What?’ Theo shook off the haze the dream had left behind.

‘Dude! You went wild—look at my bed!’ Liam retracted his claws but kept a grip on Theo’s shoulders. The chimera looked down at his hands, claws fully out. The sheets and mattress had been torn to shreds. His own blood was splashed across the blankets from where his claws caught his own skin.

‘What the hell happened?’ Liam asked, sitting back on the bed.

‘I… I had a dream.’ Theo said.

‘It wasn’t Tara.’ Liam said carefully. He had made a guess at the nightmares that sometimes plagued Theo, even though the chimera had never been open to talking about them, or even sleeping around any of them when it could be avoided.

Theo’s eyes darted to him.

‘How do you know that?’

‘Because you kept saying a name over and over.’ Liam said. Theo's hands were trembling.

‘What? What name?’ Theo’s voice was hoarse. He must have been screaming for a long time before Liam had managed to wake him up.

‘Cale. You kept saying Cale over and over.’ Liam said. Theo looked out the window, brow knit in confusion.

‘Who the hell is Cale?’ Liam asked.

‘I don’t know.’ Theo said.

###


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting the stage!

Theo sat in the passenger seat of the truck, arms folded as he stared out the window. Liam was driving his truck to the animal clinic. At first Theo thought it was funny that the pack emissary worked as a vet. It was too much—injured werewolves running to the back door of the clinic to get treated along side the family dog. Except now that he’d been force to go a few times during their battles he didn’t find it as funny. Convenient was a word that came to mind. Lucky was another. Not every pack had an emissary. They didn’t realize how lucky they were to have Deaton around. And if things turned out the way Theo thought they would, they would be equally lucky to have Mason around, whether he became an emissary or not. The boy absorbed knowledge like a desert plant in the rain.

‘I don’t know why we have to go see Deaton. I’m feeling better.’ Theo said.

‘That. That’s why.’ Liam said, keeping his eyes on the road.

‘What?’ 

‘You’re lying. And I can tell. Which means either I’ve gained a new Theo-related super sense, and I highly doubt that, or you can’t keep a grip on your… whatever is going on.’ Liam said.

‘Oh so I’m not allowed to just be myself sometimes?’ Theo spat.

‘Theo, I just spent months trying to get you to be you and you pretty much punched me every time. So forgive me when I take it as an omen of bad things happening.’ 

‘We just finished dealing with all of those hunters. Shouldn’t we rest for a little while?’ 

‘That’s not going to work twice.’ Liam said, looking at the claw marks in his shirt. After he’d calmed Theo down and gotten him a drink of water last night they’d moved to the spare room—Theo taking the bed because Liam didn’t want to risk the hardwood floors. The chimera had protested about Liam being a babysitter but the beta wasn’t about to leave Theo alone to have another freaky panic attack, or night terror, or whatever had happened. Liam wanted to take him to see Deaton right away. Theo convinced him that it was just a one time thing, and even let Liam sleep beside him to keep a closer watch. Something the chimera did only grudgingly to avoid the misery poking around in his brain.

It ended with more blood than Theo thought. Any memory of the dream that had induced the second terrifying event of the night was wiped away by the flood of guilt when he woke to Liam screaming with Theo’s claws in his abdomen. The chimera froze in horror as Liam clenched his teeth while the wound healed. If Liam had been human he’d be dead. After two hours of talking to Theo through the bathroom door again Liam managed to get him into the truck so they could drive to the animal clinic. Liam felt bad for using the chimera’s guilt as leverage. It also freaked him out because he was pretty sure Theo couldn’t feel guilt. Or a lot of other things.

The drive was mostly silent. Theo would voice a weak protest every five minutes and Liam would shoot him down. He glanced over at the chimera. Theo’s expression was clear when he woke to claws digging into his abdomen—terror. Guilt. Shame. A stab in the guts he could deal with. Theo’s crestfallen face was too much. He’d sent Deaton several text messages letting him know they were coming. The emissary was worn thin with all the recent injuries and deaths. Lucky for them he was awake even though the sun had barely risen and was preparing for their arrival.

When Liam pulled into the parking lot next to the clinic and killed the ignition Theo didn’t budget from his spot, eyes half open. The chimera looked worn out. Bags were forming under his eyes and the normally smoothed back hair was splayed out in every direction giving him a disheveled look. 

‘C’mon.’ Liam said, giving him a nudge. To his surprise Theo didn’t protest. He didn’t even speak. When Liam opened the passenger door and guided Theo towards the building the older boy hung his head. To Liam it looked like a man walking to his death. He felt his heart speed up at the thought as he glanced around the area—it was clear. There was nothing lurking in the trees that he could catch sight or scent of. Theo was safe.

The inside of the clinic was quiet. Deaton had closed up when Monroe had supposedly forced the pack out of the state. He had yet to officially reopen and take on his usual roster of clients. Instead a young girl sat in a chair in the waiting room, bandages wrapped around her face and neck—black ooze seeping through. She glanced up at them as they entered, then looked away. Liam knew from the scent that she was a werecoyote. There were several other werewolves sitting or laying down, wrapped in bandages and poultices. Some smelled like death. He felt Theo’s hand grip his wrist.

‘It’s fine.’ Liam said, ‘I’ve got you.’

‘Just what I waned to hear.’ Theo said, eyes darting around. The smell of fear and death were putting him on edge. ‘Liam Dunbar to the rescue.’

Normally Liam would have tossed an insult back but it was clear Theo was only poking fun at him to keep a grip on his sanity as they moved to the back of the clinic. The doors to the examination room were closed. Liam could hear Deaton’s muffled voice inside speaking to someone. Sitting in one of the chairs outside of the door was the slumped figure of Brett.

Liam bit his lip. He had tried his hardest to save both Brett and Lori, but in the end only Brett survived, and just barely. From the look of the tall werewolf he wasn’t keen on being alive. Liam knew that Scott had been keeping an eye on him, worried that he’d follow on the heels of his sister’s death. Brett wasn’t his favourite person, but he was family in a way. Liam wished he knew how to help him. Or how to help Theo. In the aftermath of the hunter wars he felt helpless, like there was nothing he could do. Maybe Theo had been right—maybe he was only really useful in battle.

‘Hey.’ Liam spoke softly. Brett should have been able to smell them coming as soon as they entered, or at least heard them. The tall werewolf looked up, eyes focusing on the pair standing in the hall way. He looked worse than Theo—skin too pale, deep rings around his eyes, and faint discoloured veins visible just beneath his skin.

‘Liam.’ Brett’s voice was little more than a tortured rasp. ‘What are you doing here?’

Liam glanced at Theo. The chimera’s face was pulled into a slight scowl. Theo and Brett hadn’t officially met before, though they’d been aware of each other’s scents. It had been hard enough to get Theo into the clinic—he didn’t want to risk giving him an excuse to bolt.

‘We’re here. Because I… have a pain.’ Liam muttered. Brett’s laugh was slow and painful—making the boy wince.

‘You’re a shitty liar, Dunbar.’

‘I tell him that literally every day.’ Theo huffed.

‘Does he try that thing where he pretends he’s not pissed off but every part of him screams it?’ Brett asked, forcing himself to sit up slightly.

‘All the time.’ Theo said.

‘Record is five in a day.’ Brett said holding up five slender fingers.

‘Five is nothing.’ Theo said. Liam looked between them, confused but keenly aware that something bad was happening at his expense.

‘Twelve.’ Theo smirked, looking a little more like his usual self.

Brett’s chuckle turned into a rasping cough. He got it under control as the door to the examination room opened. Mrs. Finch and Scott glanced over at the boy, concern written on their faces. He waved them away.

‘I’m okay.’ Brett said, leaning back in the chair.

‘Liam?’ Deaton poked his head through the doorway. ‘We’re almost finished here, then I can talk to Theo.’

Liam caught Scott’s eye as the door closed. The alpha had an unusually intense look on his face that Liam wasn’t able to decipher. Why was Scott talking to Deaton? Why was Mrs. Finch there? And what did it have to do with Brett?

‘When he said he had a pain, did he mean you?’ Brett asked as Theo settled into the empty seat beside the taller boy.

Theo shook his head, ‘Impossible. I’m a delight.’

Brett smirked. Somehow even half dead he still managed to look charming.

‘I’m sure you are.’

Liam growled, lips pulled back into a snarl. He felt the sound die in his throat immediately as Brett looked at him—shocked at first, then eyes narrowing to join the small smile dancing at the corner of his lips. Theo raised an eyebrow and Liam wished he had Corey’s power. At least his embarrassment brought a little bit of life back to Brett who now spoke animatedly to Theo. Liam leaned against the wall, watching as the tall lacrosse player’s hands rested on Theo’s arm. His shoulder. His hand. When Brett reached out to push back a strand of Theo’s messy hair Liam felt himself nearly launch off the wall, fangs barely contained.

Brett chuckled again, settling into his own space apart from Theo with a small wink towards Liam. Before the beta could react the doors to the examination room opened. Mrs. Finch eyed Liam as she walked past, stopping to bend down and whisper something in Brett’s ear before squeezing his shoulder. Just like that the boy looked like he was about to burst into tears. Mrs. Finch walked to the door without looking back. Scott spoke in hushed tones to Brett, rubbing his shoulder. The other werewolf nodded. Liam knew he could hear what they were saying if he wanted to, but it was be pretty rude since they were deliberately trying to keep whatever it was private. Liam looked away, waiting until his alpha was done speaking.

Scott glanced at Liam, heading over to the spot he was leaning against.

‘How is he?’ Scott asked.

‘He’s ok.’ Liam said. ‘I think. Kinda. He’s… I don’t know.’

‘You said he wasn’t lying. Isn’t that a good thing?’ Scott asked.

‘Yes and no.’ Liam bit his lip. ‘If he was doing it because he was like, working on being more approachable or something that it would be good. Yeah. But, he’s… acting weird?’

‘What exactly does weird mean?’ Scott asked.

‘Like waking up screaming his throat out and tearing up my mattress. Or hiding in his truck.’

‘Theo. Hiding.’

‘Yeah. Look, he’s really freaked out. He’s even having a hard time being a dick.’ Liam said with concern.

‘You know he can hear you.’ Brett raised his voice slightly from down the hall to get their attention. Scott looked perplexed then concerned. Liam was embarrassed. Theo stared at them with a blank expression.

‘Look I have to go but we can all discuss this later.’ Scott said.

‘What’s wrong?’ Liam asked.

Scott paused. He looked down the hall at Brett and Theo, then back to Liam. He shook his head. ‘I don’t know yet. But it’s important. I need you to keep an eye on things in town for a few days.’

‘But Theo…’ Liam caught himself, ‘Alright. I can do it.’

Scott smiled and clapped him on the back. Liam felt the air get knocked out of his lungs as Scott shoved a strange box into his hands.

‘I need you to take this to Derek.’ Scott said.

‘Right now?’ 

‘Yes, Liam. And don’t let anyone catch you with it.’

‘What is it?’

‘Never mind. Just get it to Derek, okay? This is important.’ Scott said. Liam nodded. He looked at Theo sitting beside Brett. The tall werewolf was leaning close to the chimera, whispering something, eyes on Liam.

Theo waved him away. Liam had to force his feet to march down the hall to the exit after Scott. He didn’t like that Brett was so chatty. Brett was bad news. Brett—

_Had almost died. Had lost his sister. Lost his pack._

Liam’s anger deflated, leaving a bitter aftertaste. If being jerks made Theo and Brett happy then he’d try to endure it. But he still didn’t like how friendly his old rival was with his… new rival? Friend? Theo was his friend. That was it. A friend that had pretty eyes. And sometimes smiled in a way that felt contagious.

Liam shook his head. He needed to get the box to Derek. As he stepped outside he realized he had no idea where to find the older werewolf.

###

Theo watched Liam march down the hallway like an angry toddler with a toy clutched to his chest. As soon as Liam disappeared from his sight the apprehension began to well up inside of him.

A hollow cough from Brett caught his attention.

‘You okay?’ Theo asked. Brett unbuttoned the top of his shirt and pulled it down, exposing angry looking wounds streaking across his chest. Black ichor seeped from them. Theo felt a familiar sensation creep up his spine.

‘It’s getting better.’ Brett said, pulling his collar back around his neck. ‘I was sure that I was going to die. Kind of wish I had after Lori went before me. She always had to be first, you know?’

Theo felt all sorts of things and that confused him. He frowned, unable to untangle everything. Sister. Death.

He bit down on his tongue until it bled. A second later he realized Brett could probably smell the blood.

‘What’re you in for?’ Brett asked. Theo enjoyed the werewolf’s flirting—it seemed to drive Liam crazy. He suspected similar motivations drove Brett because as soon as Liam left the other boy rested his posture and leaned against the wall. Theo thought that was a lot of strength to use up just to annoy someone. Though he did understand the appeal since it was Liam.

‘Vasectomy.’ Theo muttered, causing Brett to smirk again. His tongue healed fast.

‘Scott said you can do a full shift. Been getting to friendly with the greyhounds down at the race track?’ 

‘To start with, greyhounds would not be my type. Secondly, what happens at the dog tracks stays between the dogs.’ Theo tapped his fingers against the arm rest, working out the beat of Brett’s heart out of habit.

‘Not your type. Let me guess what is.’ Brett put his finger to his chin in mock thought.

‘This’ll be good.’ Theo said. At this point anything was a welcome distraction to keep his mind occupied. 

‘Scruffy. Clueless. Hot.’ 

‘Are still talking about dogs?’

‘Well, Liam is kind of like a puppy.’

‘Liam is not my type.’ Theo heard Deaton approach the door.

‘Mmm, not what it looked like from here.’ Brett closed his eyes and tapped his nose as Deaton opened the door.

‘Theo?’

Theo considered kicking Brett’s chair as he went by, but decided that would be too much of a dick move—even for him.

###

‘Liam tells me you’re having nightmares.’ Deaton said. His back was facing Theo as he went through the drawers and cupboards along the wall, looking for something.

‘Nothing new there.’ Theo watches the man search the room. ‘Do you need help?’

‘What? Oh. No thank you.’ Deaton said, grabbing a small brown bottled with red sealing wax melted on the opening.

‘So you’ve been having these nightmares for awhile.’ Deaton said.

‘Now and again. Ever since I was yanked out of hell. Figured it was an expected side effect.’ Theo shrugged. It was upsetting, disturbing. Made him wake in a cold sweat clutching his heart occasionally, but it was less than he deserved so he considered it getting the better end of the bargain.

‘But you’ve never had such a violent reaction before.’ 

‘No.’ Theo said.

‘Scott told me you took Gabe’s pain before he died. That was a very kind thing to do.’

‘Was it?’ Theo whispered.

‘Most people would consider it to be, yes. Do you have a different opinion?’ Deaton leaned against the edge of the counter.

‘It was stupid. I should have let him suffer. At least then I wouldn't be so—‘ Theo snapped his jaw shut when he saw Deaton’s waiting face.

‘When Scott and Liam told me what happened I thought that you might end up in a tight spot. I didn’t think it would be this bad.’ Deaton gave him a sympathetic smile. Theo bristled. Sympathy was for weak people. He wasn’t weak.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He said, knowing that even though Deaton was human there was no way he was going to believe his lie.

‘How much do you remember about the Dread Doctors, Theo?’

‘Enough to know that I was using them as much as they were using me.’

Deaton gave him a sad smile. ‘Do you remember anything about moving? About any other children?’

_Teeth. Cale. Blood. Steam. Bars._

‘No.’ Theo’s voice came out in a strangled mess.

‘It’s okay, Theo. Taking another’s pain is something that a lot of werewolves can’t do. And you, you’re a bit of… you don’t follow any known rules or patterns. The fact you were even able to take Gabe’s pain is an amazing thing in itself. That aside, it’s often traumatic. Especially the first time. It may have unearthed a few memories from your time with the Dread Doctors.’

Theo leaned back in his chair. He couldn’t read the tone of Deaton’s voice. The emissary was good at keeping his heart even and clam, and his words neutral. His face was expressive and expressionless at the same time.

‘Theo, I want you to listen carefully. The things that are happening to you, the memories and nightmares, they may save you life.’

‘They may save my life?’ Theo echoed. Deaton nodded.

Theo licked his lips, knees bouncing. Something uncoiled inside of him, a dark intensity that was little more than a shadow of what it once was—the stain on the corner of his soul that enabled him to do terrible things. He felt it settle, looking through his eyes. Sweat ran down Deaton’s neck. He knew the emissary could feel the sudden intensity. 

‘You’ve killed before.’ Theo said, straightening his back. He felt cool and collected for the first time since letting Gabe’s pain pollute him. Taint him.

‘Only in extreme circumstances when there was no other way.’ Deaton said. ‘But yes.’

‘I remember killing.’ Theo said, flexing his claws, eyes locked on Deaton. ‘I remembered enjoying it. I remember feeling strong.’

‘Theo, this isn’t a productive place to come from.’ Deaton said.

‘I remember the cage.’ His voice dropped to a whisper. ‘The cage they kept us in. I wasn’t the first. But you knew that.’

Theo looked at the jars on the shelf. Some of them he recognized. Some of them smelled familiar. Deaton had taken them from the other research location the Dread Doctors had abandoned.

‘Did you find bones? Did you find…’ Theo trailed off. The name wouldn’t come to him, like it refused to be spoken.

‘Yes, I knew.’ Deaton said, ‘And that’s all the more reason we need you.’

‘You need me?’ Theo folded his arms.

‘You’re the only one with memories of the Dread Doctors. Your nightmares might be the key to unraveling their methods. To understanding their experiments.’

‘Their experiments. Like me. And Corey.’

‘Exactly.’

‘So you can undo us.’ Theo’s mind went back to the tunnel. Back to the boy with one clawed hand.

_Press forward! Attack! Run!_

He felt his claws elongate, curving more than usual. He had be robbed of everything, smashed down, broken, sent to hell, and spit back out. Now was not the time to die. Not when there might be something left to live for. Not when there was the slightest chance to escape the twisted fate that had created him. He would kill first.

‘Theo, calm down. No one wants to hurt you. There are some people that are concerned about you, that’s all.’

‘Concerned enough to want me dead.’ Theo said, ‘Scott?’

Deaton shook his head. ‘Not Scott. No one here. We all trust you.’

‘Bullshit.’

‘I trust you. I trust that you’re going to remain calm and hear what I have to say before you interrupt me again.’

Theo narrowed his eyes, looking for any trace of dishonesty in the human standing several feet away. He could easily lash out and run. What then? He was tired of running. Tired of trying to carve out a place to fit with fangs and claws. He retracted his claws, sitting back in the chair. To his credit Deaton did not waver or give any sign of relief. Theo admired his fortitude.

‘You said there were others. We know the Dread Doctors have been experimenting for centuries. Some of their earlier work is crude and sloppy—there are traces I’ve managed to track down. But in the past fifty or sixty years any trace of them is impossible to find.’ Deaton said, ‘Theo, I need to know if there were any others that were taken along with you. Any other children that might have been first chimera candidates.’

‘There were.’ Theo said.

‘Do you remember any of them, any details? Anything that might help us track them down, or places the Dread Doctors kept you?’

Theo shook his head.

‘They said they only needed one.’ The memory flickered and trembled with the same vicious frequency the machine men used to appear and disappear. ‘They told us we were special, but they only needed one.’

Theo’s throat ached and his mouth went dry. He remembered standing with the others, bars between them and the machine men. A hand holding his. A boy with blonde hair and grey eyes. Whispers in the dark. Comfort.

_Weakness._

He shook the thought off. Someone had been kind to him. Someone had cared, even after Tara. After his parents had discarded him in grief. He looked down at his hands. Older. Stronger. Empty.

‘Theo?’ Deaton held out a box of tissues. The chimera frowned then touched his face. Tears were flowing freely.

‘Don’t look at me!’ He barked. Deaton turned away as fast as he could, leaving Theo in his peripheral vision. The chimera wiped his eyes on the sleeves of his hoodie. No one could see him like this. No one could know. He wasn't weak. He wasn't a failure.

‘You can’t tell Scott or Liam.’ Theo said as Deaton turned back slowly. The look on the emissary’s face told Theo that he was bound to the well being of the pack.

‘Not Liam then. Not Liam.’ Theo hated the sound of his voice.

_Begging. Weak. Disgusting._

‘I won’t tell Liam.’ Deaton said.

‘Scott can’t tell him either.’ Theo whispered. What was this aching in his chest? Why did everything always hurt now? He wished he knew what was wrong inside so he could reach in and tear it out.

‘I’ll make sure Scott knows.’ Deaton said.

‘I think… I’m broken?’ Theo’s voice was barely audible. Deaton strained to hear him. For the first time since Theo had known the emissary he picked up on a change in the human’s heartbeat. 

‘You’re hurt, Theo. You’re not broken.’ Deaton said.

The chimera listened carefully. ‘You believe that.’

‘I do.’ Deaton said, ‘You can heal. It won’t be easy and whatever pain you’re enduring now will only get worse.’

Theo bit his tongue again, blood and pain keeping him from making a single noise of anguish.

Deaton handled him the brown bottle. ‘This is for your nightmares. It should give you some lucidity when you sleep. You'll have control over what happens at least. If it’s unbearable you’ll be able to wake up. No more shredded sheets.’

‘Thanks.’ He mumbled with his healing tongue.

He stood, pausing when it looked like Deaton had more to say.

‘You may not have had the best history with this pack, Theo, but you are part of it even if it’s in a small way. I just want you to know that. Despite what the others might say, I see things from a different vantage point. They trust you. Depend on you.’

Theo looked at his sneakers, then to the bottle. He shoved it in his pocket and gave Deaton a nod before heading out the door, leaving the emissary alone to let out a huge gasp of breath. Deaton wiped his forehead—for a brief moment he felt like he was looking into the eyes of a demon.

###

Brett was leaning against a car when Theo came out of the clinic. The fire in Theo dimmed quickly, legs nearly giving out. Brett was there to take enough weight to support him.

‘I’m fine.’ Theo said. Brett raised an eyebrow.

‘Need a ride?’

Theo paused, assessing.

‘Hey, us sickies got to stick together.’ Brett said, holding off a coughing fit.

Theo shrugged off his hands, getting in the passenger seat. Brett jammed the keys into the ignition. Before he could get it started he broke out into a wheezing cough. His long fingers reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small envelope full of dried leaves. He pressed one onto the roof of his mouth, inhaling deeply. Theo watched as the coughing subsided and Brett was breathing normally.

‘Poison’s a bitch.’ He tucked the envelope back into his pocket. Theo eyed the pink rabbit’s foot dangling from the keychain. Brett followed his eyes.

‘It was Lori’s. Guess it wasn’t very lucky.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Theo blurted out, startling Brett and himself. Silence stretched out between them as Brett took in his scent, weighing the sincerity of Theo’s words.

‘Thanks.’ Brett muttered, turning the key. The engine came to life. Theo could hear the alternator belt starting to go. The faint squeaking would blend into everything else even to a werewolf. But Theo was used to working on his truck to keep it in working order, so he picked up on it. It was distracting. Distracting was good.

‘Where am I dropping you?’ Brett asked.

‘I don’t know.’ Theo said. Liam had his truck doing who knows what, and since he was living out of it there weren’t many other options. ‘Liam’s place, I guess.’

Brett nodded, turning off of the main street and cruising through the suburbs.

‘So you and Liam—‘

‘There is no me and Liam.’ Theo said.

‘But you want there to be.’

‘If I tear out your tongue will that shut you up?’ Theo grumbled.

Brett laughed—it sounded a bit healthier than before, but still far from normal. 

‘I like you.’

‘Great. I’ll make sure you’re the first to sign my yearbook.’ Theo said.

‘Do you want me to help?’ Brett asked. Theo shot him a confused look. ‘With Liam I mean. Sure, he’s a hot mess. And there’s nothing I love more than winding him up. But I can tell he likes you.’

‘No.’

‘But you like him.’

Theo paused. ‘Yeah.’

‘And you just acknowledged that you know he likes you.’

‘Yeah.’

‘And you don’t want to get with him.’ Brett said, leaning into a turn. ‘I live by the “if it feels good, do it” rule.’

‘I thought you were Buddhists. Don’t you live by dharma?’

‘That, too.’

Theo snorted. Brett came to a gentle stop in Liam’s driveway. Theo vaguely recalled the beta telling him there was a spare key under the planter by the door, and his parents would be home in two days or so.

When he stepped out of the car his legs shook refusing to take his full weight. He tried to force his legs to obey, standing and falling back into his seat several times before Brett came over to help him.

‘I can do it.’ Theo said.

‘You very clearly can’t.’ The tall werewolf bent down, supporting Theo’s weight with his shoulder. The chimera’s other side dragged along. A second body swooped in, taking the rest of the weight.

‘Nolan?’ Theo hadn’t seen the boy since the day at the hospital. 

‘Looked like you needed some help.’ The boy said as they worked to get Theo to the door. Once they fished out the key and got Theo on the couch the chimera glared at them. Before he could send them away the familiar sound of his truck cam rumbling up the road, pulling into the driveway.

‘Hello?’ Liam poked his head through the door as he entered. He stopped when he saw Brett, a look of annoyance crossing his face, then confusion when he spotted Nolan.

‘I don’t remember saying anything about throwing a party.’ Liam said, looking at Theo.

‘Surprise! It’s my “it’s not cancer” party. Deaton said I’m fine.’ Theo said. He felt Brett shift his weight, but remained silent.

‘What was wrong then?’ Liam asked.

‘Stress. Look, medicine.’ Theo tossed Liam the bottle Deaton had given him. The beta turned it over in his hands before tossing it back.

‘I should go.’ Nolan said.

‘Already?’ Brett smiled at the boy. Theo rolled his eyes as Brett cranked his charm up. Nolan’s cheeks flushed pink and he looked away from the lanky werewolf.

‘I just came by to thank Theo. Um, for taking Gabe’s pain. Plus I don’t think I’m welcome.’ He said. Brett frowned.

‘Nolan was on Monroe’s side, but he ended up helping us.’ Liam said, forcing the words out. Nolan still wasn’t his favourite person even if they’d been able to patch things up more or less. He knew he couldn’t hold the effects of the anuk-ite against the boy, but it rankled him Nolan escaped virtually free. Except that was wrong. He lost his best friend. And he’d done things that would no doubt give him nightmares. In the end Nolan was too fragile to endure the harsh realities that Monroe had tried to hammer into him. He felt the fallout of the battle as well.

‘Stay.’ Theo said. The more people there to buffer him against Liam’s questions and fussing the better. At least until he could figure out what to do with the beta. Or made sense of what was going on inside of him.

‘If you’re sure…’ Nolan said. Liam tried to get Mason to come over but he and Corey hasn’t left each other’s company since the hospital. He figured he’d see Mason in a few more days after they were done figuring out they were alive and that the battle was over.

‘I’m Brett.’ The tall boy loomed over Nolan, extending his hand. Nolan looked away, not used to such direct attention. He took Brett’s hand. It was calloused from lacrosse, but somehow still fairly soft. The werewolf’s fingers were long, grazing the underside of Nolan’s wrist.

Nolan pulled his hand back slowly when they were done shaking. A slow smile grew on Brett’s face as he touched the fringe of Nolan’s hair, pushing it back around his ear.

‘Where have you been hiding?’ Brett asked, drawing Nolan into the kitchen. The teenager shot Liam a look. The beta shrugged and Nolan found himself alone in the kitchen with Brett. Even though he looked under the weather, the werewolf paid close attention to him—giving small smiles and touches that were driving Nolan mad with confusion.

‘What are they talking about?’ Theo asked.

‘It’s rude to listen.’

‘Spare me Mother Theresa.’

‘Brett’s being his usual charming self and Nolan looks like he wants to disappear. Or jump on Brett. Or both maybe.’ Liam said.

‘See? Was that hard?’ Theo asked.

‘You’re corrupting me.’

‘It’s been my plan all along—get resurrected from hell to help a teenage werewolf change his prudish ways. I’m like that guy in that Christmas Carol movie.’

‘Scrooge?’ Liam asked, earning a slap upside the head.

‘Not that one. The old one. With the angel guy. You know… bells and shit.’

‘That doesn’t make any sense, Theo.’

‘I can’t help it if you’ve never watched a movie besides Scream 1 to 4, Dunbar. You have to take self-improvement in hand if you ever want to better yourself.’ Theo said. Liam chuckled.

‘I’m glad you’re alright.’ Liam said.

‘Of course I’m alright. I told you I was alright.’ Theo said, unsure of what to say. Liam can see through his lies and there was no way he had enough strength to rial the beta up and get into a fight. So he turned on the TV and pretended that there weren’t a whole host of demons waiting in the back of his skull to swallow him up as soon as he let his guard down.

Liam settled into Theo’s side. His eyes kept drifting over to Brett and Nolan. Part of him was glad to have Brett away from Theo. A different part of him was anxious watching them interact. He’d seen Brett flirt hundreds of times—the guy was all over anyone remotely good looking within a few seconds. This looked the same, but there was something there that was different. An edge that Liam couldn’t quite identify. Brett was assertive and very forward—no denying that. But he seemed more predatory when he was flirting with Nolan. Maybe it was just the way Brett handled werewolf-human hook ups. Liam had no idea, but he still felt like he had to keep an eye on them, just to be sure.

He watched as Brett leaned into Nolan’s space over in the kitchen. Brett took Nolan’s hand and pressed it to his chest, a suggestive smile dancing across his face. Nolan jumped when his phone went off. Liam watched as the boy breezed past them, muttering a quick thank you and something about feeding the cat. Brett watched the boy leave. There was definitely a look in the tall boy’s eyes that Liam found unsettling, but he had nothing more than a strange feeling to go on.

‘Well don’t you two look cozy.’ Brett said, turning his attention to Liam and Theo leaning into each other on the couch. ‘Room for a third?’

Liam growled before he could stop himself.

‘Sorry.’ He said. Brett smiled.

‘Hey I get it, you don’t want me moving in on your man.’ Brett nodded. Theo shot him a death glare as Brett smirked at him.

‘What? No. We’re not dating. I think.’ Liam said, puzzling it out. He spent most of his time with Theo. He liked being around the chimera, even if he was a dick sometimes. Most of the time. And he did think Theo was hot.

Liam felt his cheeks flush as the other boys watched him work through several fleeting thoughts. The more he thought about Theo the stupider he felt. Theo was trouble. Theo was in trouble. Something was going on and Scott wasn’t going to tell them. When he had finally tracked down Derek and given them the box the evolved werewolf was reluctant to touch it. He wasn’t sure what was in it but Derek was far from excited to deal with whatever it was. Then all of his questions had been about Theo—where was he staying, who was he with, was he staying in town. And when Liam had pressed for an explanation Derek shrugged him off.

It didn’t matter anyway, because Liam would there to protect the stubborn chimera, even if Theo didn’t want him to.

‘Where’d Brett go?’ Liam asked.

‘He left after you got lost in Liam Land for like five minutes.’ Theo said, flicking through the channels. ‘Where do you go, Liam? Honesty we’re all very concerned.’

‘Shut up.’ Liam said, grabbing the remote and settling against the warmth of Theo’s side.

The chimera exhaled—Liam’s scent was enough to keep old ghosts sleeping, at least until they had to go to bed. His fingers touched the smooth glass in his pocket. Whatever Deaton had given him he hoped it worked as well as the emissary described—he would rip his own hand off before he hurt Liam again.

###


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things creep along and forces align.

_The wind was calm. The trees were calm. The earth was calm._

Brett sat deep in the forest, eyes closed in meditation. It had been a few weeks since he’d been to Deaton—the worst of the poison was now out of his system and he was strong enough to heal on his own. But where the body heals, the spirit takes a long time to follow. Something Satomi once told him. He hadn’t fully understood it, even as he was learning how to harness the powers he was born with. Satomi saw werewolves are unfortunate creatures, punished for karmic transgressions committed in a past life. Brett had never seen eye to eye with her on that topic. He was born the way he was—it was a gift. Not a curse. Not a burden. Still, his alpha’s guidance had been a constant in his life that he and Lori held on to through every challenge that came their way.

When they were young they roamed from town to town, hitting the streets and alley ways. Lori was so young, and it was Brett’s job to protect her. They never knew their parents. They never trusted any adults. Some of them wanted to hurt them, to take them away. Brett had turned to stealing and violence to provide for his sister, but there was only so much he could get away with in a place before the authorities got wise and started looking for them. Once, when Lori was eight, some people from the government welfare place had captured her and taken her away in a van. Brett had tracked them for two days before he found them. He’d injured a man badly that day to save his sister. Together they ran off into the forest, vowing not to go into the city again. It was there they had met Satomi.

_The sun. The moon. The truth._

It was a reductive statement, made simple for a child. It was rooted in one of the stories Satomi told them, trying to teach them the gentle path. It had stuck as a mantra of control to help them deal with their powers. Brett laughed every time he heard Liam mutter it—Satomi had likened it to a child’s nursery rhyme. To hear a powerful and violent werewolf mutter it over and over only reminded Brett of how far Liam was from truly understanding anything about the world. And that infuriated him.

Satomi’s teachings had saved them, but Brett carried too much from their lives before her pack for them to fully sink in. Lori was young enough to believe every word, to take them to heart. Brett’s heart wasn’t as malleable. He had seen too many things, hurt too many people. Still, for the sake of balance and keeping Lori safe he adhered to the code Satomi taught—negation of the self. Brett didn’t grasp the words she used fully, but he knew that all she taught them to survive came from that philosophy. To control your heartbeat and hide from the enemy. To make dormant the part of you that gave off pheromones and scent. To deaden and dumb down the senses. To walk the world as a human. More than that, to abandon the ego and release all. These were not things Brett could do before. Now more than ever, he wished for oblivion.

He had experienced pain, he was no stranger to suffering. In his lowest moments he lashed out to share it with those closest to him. Used his own anguish and inadequacy to justify grinding down anyone that stood in his way. Used it to hurt Liam more than anyone. The shame that came after was his punishment, and still he did it over and over. Caught in a cycle as Satomi would say. Pain was not unfamiliar to him. But this, this was more than he could bear. His sister was gone. His mentor and alpha had been cut down—her philosophy had no saved her. His pack mates had been hunted and skinned as trophies for a twisted Argent. He had nothing.

Then there was Nolan Holloway. 

He had seen the boy before, of course. Nolan was too attractive not to notice, even though he was often stiff and sullen. Shy and withdrawn. Unless he was with his friend, who was more of a follower than anything. Look where that had gotten him—bleeding on the floor with an abomination taking his pain.

Brett shook his head. Theo was no more abomination that he was. Brett would never admit that the chimera had done something he would never have been able to. To save one of hunters that had killed Lori. That had wiped out his pack like they were rapid curs. Theo had seen himself in that boy and reached inside and pulled out every ounce of pain to the point that it was tearing him apart, shredding his soul. Brett could see it. Hear it in the chimera’s voice. Such creatures were not made to do the things that Theo was doing. Such creatures were made of pain, for causing pain. They very goal of the Dread Doctors had been the resurrection of carnage and killing, and they had gotten it. Brett supposed Satomi might have had a point about karma playing a part in people’s lives.

What did that mean for him? For Nolan? For all of them? Everything Scott McCall had done lead them from one dire situation to the next. No, that wasn’t true. This was a place of supernatural power—events were drawn here like a magnet. Everything that followed was just occurring according to the natural path inside of them. There was no way to escape your nature, he was sure of it. Satomi’s death proved it. Lori’s death has proved his own nature. Weakness and indecision. Believe in half-truths had gotten his sister killed. Now he had nothing. Without Scott and Jane Finch taking him under their protection, Brett would be an omega wolf, destined to die alone, an animal driven mad by bloodlust.

He exhaled. Calm. He needed to be calm. He needed to be still. The wind moved across his skin in gentle currents and streams. The poison had been severe—an ugly scar tore down his chest to his belly. Deaton had told him that it might remain like that—often psychological scars could interfere with a werewolf’s healing, the outside matching the inner world. He didn’t care if it remained or if it faded with time. There were more important matters to take care of. The first was stability, to rebuild his mental foundations the way Satomi had taught him, but using his own principals. Different from Scott McCall. Different from Derek Hale. Even Jane had tried to influence him, to no avail. He saw things clearly now for the first time in his life, and he shouldered the burden of the deaths that were dealt for that insight. They would not be in vain.

Day turned to night and darkness gave way to the sun once more, and Brett found he had regained the discipline he had lost as he healed. Now he was strong enough to turn his attention to his body. No more hiding. No more negation. Those skills were useful and would help him survive. But now was the time for action, for building up strength.

Claws fast and slashing. Teeth sharp and biting. He moved through the exercises his alpha had taught him—peaceful poses turned into weapons with his enhanced strength and speed. He felt the unfamiliar tightness of the scar tissue as he demanded more and more from his muscles, working up a sweat. A distant sound caught his attention and his body froze, concentrating everything on picking up what was crossing through the territory of his pack.

_Not for long._

Brett shook off the thought. Whoever was had been jogging along one of the old footpaths. Not an uncommon thing since their territory overlapped with part of the preserve that was open to the public. Satomi felt that it was fitting to have part of that world touch theirs at all times. Normally they would practice identifying at a distance, then ignore whoever it was crossing their territory. They were a neutral pack, impacting the world as much as they tried to nullify their own personalities. This time was different. Brett recognized something in the sound, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He left his training behind, tearing through the forest at full speed. As he approached he was able to pull a scent out of the familiar smells of the forest. Human. Sweating. Running.

_Nolan._

Brett frowned. Had the human come looking for him? Brett felt his fangs lengthen without thinking. He didn’t want anyone coming so close to his home, even if they were an ally. He exhaled, calming himself. He was going to seek out the boy anyway. It looked like fate had dropped him right in Brett’s path.

###

Nolan pushed himself through the pain in his legs, sweat stinging his eyes. He listened to his music fun blast as he ran. Normally he’d do laps on the track at school after practice to build up his endurance. School hadn’t been a very welcoming place in the wake of recent events. Even when people weren’t staring at him, Nolan felt the absence of Gabe everywhere he went. They’d been friends since they were five years old, becoming more as they entered their teens. When Monroe started talking about taking control of their own fate, their own world, Gabe had been an eager convert. Nolan was hesitant, but Gabe’s conviction helped him commit to the path. Though in the end he knew that it wasn’t right. All that it had led to was death and pain. 

So he ran. He ran as fast as he could, then pushed past that. He went as far as he dared and then beyond. As he came to edge of the forest his heart jumped—Monroe had told them the forest was dangerous. It was a haven for werewolves and other creatures. Nolan didn’t think she was lying about that. He paused for a moment before plunging into the shadows of the trees. Part of him hoped that something would come out of the darkness, out of the wild and swallow him whole. No. He deserved to hurt. He would be torn apart by fangs and crunching jaws. Maybe then things would be better, after he had suffered in return for the pain he had caused. For all the times he hadn’t stopped Gabe. For every punch Liam had endured, every taunt. Nolan felt tears mix with the sweat on his face. So he ran. And he kept running.

There was no one to talk to—Liam had been a better friend than he thought, forgiving him slowly over the days and agreeing to co-captain the team with him, something he thought was Scott’s idea, later finding out from Theo’s biting comments that it had been Liam’s peace gesture. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t have the skills or leadership to be a captain, but he took Liam’s offering. Maybe if he watched Liam he could learn what real strength was. Liam certainly had it, and it wasn’t because he was a werewolf.

Nolan’s chest was on fire. His lungs struggled to suck in air as he pushed past his limit again and again. He felt his ankle groan in protest. In response he pushed more, ran faster. It was a mistake. His joint gave out under the stress, causing him to trip and tumble off of the footpath and down a small hill. He felt a sharp rock dig into the skin of his leg as he slid past, rolling until he reached the bottom—the impact of his shoulder into a tree trunk making him cry out in pain.

He could hear the sound of a stream nearby. The leaves swayed in the breeze above, making the shadows dance. His ankle throbbed, and blood oozed from the cut in his leg. Nolan knew he hit his head several times as he went down the hill—his whole body ached, but he didn’t think anything was broken. Trying to sit up was a mistake. He’d pushed his body far beyond what it was capable and he collapsed as soon as he exerted any energy to get up. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the tree. Frustration was building—he still had so much energy, but his body refused to obey. He slammed his fist into the grass over and over.

Nolan searched his pockets—he found the tangle of earbuds on his shoulder but his phone was nowhere to be seen. It must have been sent flying when he fell. He scanned the hill. The grass was too tall to see anything.

A noise caught his attention. Something was watching him from the top of the hill. He couldn’t make out what it was.

‘Hello?’ He called. The only response was the rustling of leaves. They’d learned in school that there hadn’t been wolves in their part of the world for decades. Nolan knew better. He was more afraid of the other things that called the wildlife preserve home. Regular animals he could at least wrap his mind around.

As the noise got closer he struggled to stand, wincing as a jolt of pain went through his ankle. He slid back to the ground, looking around for something that might help him protect himself, but the only stick nearby was little more than a twig. The noise disappeared suddenly and Nolan held his breath, listening. There was a flurry of movement out of the corner of his eye. He saw the snake’s mouth open, darting towards him with impossible speed. Then it was gone.

Brett stood in front of him, torso covered in sweat. The snake thrashed in his hands. He turned, looking down at Nolan then back to the snake before walking through the grass a good distance away and releasing it. He wiped the sweat off his face as he walked back. Nolan’s eyes fell to the scar on Brett’s chest. He thought werewolves has healing powers. Whatever hit Brett seemed to have left a lasting mark. Something Argent or Monroe had made. He’d seen the tall werewolf before many time, before he knew Brett was what he was. He’d enjoyed watching the taller boy warm up before their games against Devenford Prep. The first time he’d officially spoken to him was a few weeks ago at Liam’s house when they’d helped Theo. Brett had been charming and flirty, and now the werewolf had shown up out of nowhere.

‘Can you stand?’ Brett asked.

‘I don’t think so.’ Nolan said. Brett nodded and bend down, picking up Nolan with ease. The boy winced as his ankle jostled against his leg. Brett helped him to a small boulder, setting him down with care. He got to his knees, long fingers touching the swollen flesh. 

‘Not sprained, but a bit beaten up.’ He said, pressing his hand to the healthy skin above it. Nolan sucked in a breath. He knew what was coming—images of the black veins snaking across Gabe’s skin into Theo’s body echoed in his mind. Brett was going to take his pain.

Nolan jerked away, catching himself on the edge of the boulder. Brett steadied him with one hand, a curious look on his face.

‘I…I’m fine.’ Nolan said. Brett searched his face, trying to figure out what his motivation for pulling away was. Did Nolan not trust him? Was he afraid? Or did he want to keep his pain to himself. It didn’t mater either way. Brett had made up his mind. He saw things how they were now.

‘Ever seen a rattlesnake?’ Brett asked.

‘Is that what it was?’ 

‘Red diamond. Lethal to humans. Especially ones that are running along in the middle of the forest.’ 

‘I needed to clear my head.’

‘By heading to the most dangerous place in Beacon Hills.’

‘You’re out here.’ Nolan felt his anger rise.

‘This is my home.’ Brett said. Nolan looked away. Of course. This is where Brett’s pack was. He’d heard stories about them from Gabe, though he’d never been out here himself. The werewolves that pretended to be peaceful. Gabe had laughed—Monroe thought it was amusing how they went against their nature and played at being pacifists. In the end two of them had killed a dozen hunters before they were captured. They’d managed to escape to Scott McCall’s claws though, and Nolan had been sent in to kill them. He’d known Jiang when they were kids. It was another reminder to Nolan that what they were doing was wrong, but he wasn’t strong enough to stand up to them. He wasn’t strong enough to turn his back on Gabe. And now Brett was in front of him, smiling.

‘Do you want help getting back?’ 

‘Yeah. Thanks.’ He said as Brett took his weight again. They made their way to the footpath, navigating the rocks and roots as they went. Brett could smell the frustration coming off of Nolan. Chemo-signals were complex things, relying heavily on the one reading the scent to sort out the different chemical signatures and pheromones the body produced. Nolan was in overdrive, and judging from his physical state was in a good deal of mental turmoil. A good athlete pushed their body jut beyond the limit in order to grow. Nolan was punishing himself.

When they got to the footpath Brett started taking them in the opposite direction Nolan entered.

‘I came in that way.’ Nolan said.

‘My car is this way.’

Brett cut through his territory. It wouldn’t be his for very long. He was the last of Satomi’s pack, and though she was widely respected the laws of nature dictated that if he was unable to hold the territory a stronger pack would move in on it. At this point any pack was stronger. Only by virtue of the neighbouring packs was he not seen as a pack-less omega. If only Satomi had given him her power like he had asked before things had taken a dire turn. She knew, though, she could see the thorn in his heart. If he had been an alpha Lori would still be alive. If he had been an alpha he would have killed.

After a few minutes Brett leaned down, scooping Nolan up in his arms. The boy blushed but said nothing as Brett focused on running. It was good training to carry someone Nolan’s size through the forest at high speeds. He was almost the same size as Lori.

They made it to the car faster than Nolan could ever hope to move. Brett helped him into the passenger seat before getting in. He started the car and pulled it off the grassy shoulder onto the overgrown back road.

‘Where to?’ He asked, ‘Hospital?’

‘Home. I’ll put some ice on it.’ Nolan said.

As they drove Nolan looked around the car—there was no garbage, no sign that this was a teenager’s car. He wondered if it had something to do with being Buddhist. No junk food. Or maybe that was a personal choice—Brett clearly worked out. Nolan snuck a peek at the lean torso. The scar always grabbed his attention, and the sight of it brought a wave of shame.

‘You okay?’ Brett asked.

‘Fine. Just… Feeling stupid.’

‘For falling?’ 

‘Yeah.’

‘We all fall, Nolan. As long as you get back up it’s fine.’

‘What about you?’

Brett paused, turning onto the main road, leaving his home behind.

‘What about me.’ 

‘Are you alright?’

‘I’m fine. Healing. But fine.’ Brett said, touching the scar on his chest.

‘For a second I thought you were going to land in the stream.’ Brett said, smiling. Nolan felt his face flush. Of course the werewolf had seen his graceless tumble. Or if he didn’t see it there was no way he didn’t hear it.

‘I thought that snake was going to get me for sure.’ Nolan said. ‘Thanks, by the way.’

Brett shrugged, pulling up along the curb outside of Nolan’s block. Of course, the werewolf didn’t know where he lived.

‘On the right here.’ Nolan pointed. Brett pulled forward, coming to a stop in front of Nolan’s house and putting the car into park.

‘Need help getting inside?’

‘I think I’ll be okay, but thanks.’ Nolan said, biting his lip, ‘Listen. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.’

‘For what?’

‘For your pack. For everything that happened. I know we never talked before…’

‘Nolan it’s okay. There was nothing you could have done anyway.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘You couldn’t stop Monroe. You couldn’t stop Argent. One person turning against the group wouldn’t change anything in a situation like that. You did the best thing to stay alive.’

Nolan couldn’t meet Brett’s eyes. Those were all words he’d told himself over and over, both during the crisis and after. All he’d wanted was to hear them from someone else, and now one of the people that he’d hated and feared on principal were sitting beside him, telling him practically word for word what he thought he wanted to hear. What he needed to set him free. Except it didn’t do anything. It fell flat and lifeless in his ears. Maybe Brett believed it, but Nolan knew in that moment that he didn’t. Not anymore.

‘Listen, why don’t we hangout sometime. Grab a coffee.’ Brett nudged him and smiled.

‘As long as you let me pay.’ Nolan said, shaking off his thoughts.

Brett laughed, settling back into his seat.

‘Okay.’ he nodded. ‘Sure.’

He took Nolan’s phone and punched his number in.

‘Drop me a line this weekend. We’ll go out.’

‘When you say out, do you mean on a date or as friends?’ Nolan asked.

‘A date. Unless that’s too much.’ Brett said.

‘No! That’s cool. I just thought… maybe you didn’t want to.’

‘Because you were a hunter.’

Nolan flinched. Was he really? Everything he’d done was out of fear, and following that it had been to save his own skin.

‘I don’t care about that.’ Brett said. ‘Why don’t you think about it for a bit, and get in touch when you figure out if you want it to be a date or just to hangout.’

‘Alright.’ Nolan said. ‘Thanks for the drive. And the snake. And carrying me.’

The corner’s of Brett’s mouth tugged into a smile.

‘Anytime.’

He watched Nolan hobble to his front door. The boy unlocked it, waving to show he was okay before disappearing inside. Brett was about to pull away when his phone started to vibrate. He looked at the screen, frowning.

He typed a quick reply and pulled away from the curb, whipping the car around into a u turn to head in the opposite direction.

###

There were eight of them standing in the loose circle. The warehouse was neutral ground—an overlap in their territories where peace was observed. Brett couldn’t remember the last time there had been such a gathering, and it was certainly something he’d never been invited to before.

‘Why is he here?’ One of the stranger asked. ‘He’s not an alpha.’

‘But he’s pure—a born wolf.’ The other stranger spoke.

‘We’re not all as eager to ascribe trust as you are, just because the boy has a bloodline.’

‘He’s here because he is the last of Satomi’s pack, and we thought it was fitting he take part.’ Jane Finch said. In the weeks following the battle she had disappeared, re-emerging to take her rightful place as the alpha of the primal pack which had nearly been totally wiped out. Two others from her pack had been hiding at Devenford Prep. Brett knew they were werewolves but assumed they were pack-less.

The strange alphas protested. She flashed her eyes at them.

‘I say he stays. Scott McCall backs me.’ Her voice was firm. Scott stood beside Brett. He looked at the others with red eyes, giving a nod before shooting Brett a sympathetic look.

‘And them? The Hale pack is not what it once was.’

‘We hold our own.’ Peter said, earning a glare from Derek.

‘This isn’t about testing pack boundaries. This is about uniting so something like this can never happen again.’ Scott said. The stranger scoffed.

‘You might think that’s what this meeting is about, but we have far more pressing matters.’

‘The experiments. The chimeras. They must all be destroyed.’

Scott’s eyes narrowed. 

‘Not going to happen.’

‘Let’s hear them out.’ Jane said. Scott tilted his head, clearly surprised at her break from their combined front.

‘For the sake of our lives, and the lives of our packs, the chimeras must die.’ The third alpha spoke, his eyes gleaming bright red. Brett kept himself composed. The bloodlust was thick in the air. He thought of Theo. There was no way he could take part in this circle and leave with a clear conscience.

###

Theo was sprawled out on Liam’s bed. He was supposed to be sleeping, but he’d been avoiding it. The medicine that Deaton had given him had worked, but Theo was reminded after taking the first dose that it wasn’t to hold the nightmares back—rather it was to refine them and bring them into focus. That first night he’d woken with such overwhelming dread he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to get down to his car and drive out to a deserted street before he parked and started to scream until his throat was hoarse.

Since then he’d given up on sleeping. Instead he pretended. He was good at pretending. Even among the other kids the machine men held he was the best at using his imagination.

Theo screwed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to remember those things. He didn’t care if Deaton said that they might be the only thing to save his life. If he faced those memories again, those nightmares, he knew he wouldn’t survive. It already felt like the edge of his mind had been worn dull. He’d managed to keep it from Liam without rousing any suspicion. Liam’s mother had insisted Theo stay after Liam told them his parents had kicked him out and he was living in his truck. Theo didn’t have the strength to refuse—Liam was strong willed but his mother was a force of nature. He’d taken to sleeping on the floor in Liam’s room, or after lights out he let the beta coax him into the bed. The situation was funny, but he had no strength to laugh at it. He was pretty sure Liam’s mom thought his parents had kicked him out for being gay.

_Failure._

Theo resisted the urge to curl into a ball. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing controlled. He managed to make his heartbeat obey for the first time since taking Gabe’s pain. To anyone watching he appeared to be sleeping, and Theo knew that Liam was watching him. The beta would stir at odd times in the night, sitting up and listening to Theo to make sure he was sleeping soundly. At first Theo was angry that Scott was getting Liam to spy on him, but as the days went by it became clear that Liam was checking on him out of his own concern. Ever since he’d pulled the werewolf into the elevator at the hospital things between them had been different. 

Theo knew that Liam liked him—the boy was easy to read. Liam himself was figuring the attraction out. Even with Hayden he seemed to be painfully slow in coming to accept things, but once he did there was no stopping him. That frightened Theo. Everything Liam was frightened Theo. The beta had no idea the power he held over the chimera. Ordinarily Theo would be able to shrug off the small things Liam did. The caring gestures and worried looks. But now that he was twisted up inside the only way to deal with Liam was avoidance. Thankfully Scott had been getting him to run so many errands that the bulk of their time together was spent with Theo feigning sleep and Liam studying his face in the dark.

He could feel Liam beside him, heat from his skin making Theo sweat. The heat moved out and away, hovering over his chest. Liam was holding his arm over Theo for some reason. The chimera fought to keep control as the beta’s fingers made contact, resting his palm over Theo’s heat, rising and falling with his chest. Theo felt a thousand things at the same time, and he was able to name one of them as rushed through him. He knew his heart skipped a beat. Liam was bad at picking up those small details, and Theo prayed this was one of the times Liam wasn’t paying attention. 

‘Theo?’ Liam whispered, leaning close to study the boy’s face. He looked peaceful, but there were still bags under his eyes. He knew the chimera wasn’t sleeping as much as he appeared to be. He liked to think that when they were together that Theo slept better, but he didn’t know if that was wishful thinking or not. Seeing the chimera sleep brought out something in Liam that he never thought he’d feel. Especially for Theo, who had been the bane of his existence, a cruel torturer, and a reminder of his own failure and shame. Until he’d brought the chimera back.

Theo was stupid. And stubborn. And full of himself. But he also cared. Liam had started to get annoyed that the chimera was always hanging around, hovering over him, hanging on as if he was the only one that would tolerate him. When he found out Theo was living in his truck he realized that it was true—he was the only one that gave Theo the time of day. The only one that actually kind of cared about him. Scott kept tabs, but other than that he stayed away. When Theo grabbed him and pulled him into the elevator he was sure that the older boy was going to kiss him. When it didn’t happen Liam nearly kissed the chimera himself, but the direness of the situation demanded their attention and they’d jumped into battle without a second thought. 

When Theo walked past him towards Gabe, Liam felt his breath catch in his throat. That simple gesture that no one in their pack would have ever expected had altered the chimera in a way that worried him. But it also changed something in Liam. It was proof—irrefutable proof that Theo had a heart. That Theo could feel. Of course he’d felt the brunt of the chimera’s frustration and annoyance, but this went deeper. Theo hadn’t taken the pain of an ally, a friend. That would make sense. That would have been something, but instead Theo had taken the pain of an enemy. Someone who had been blinded with hatred and fear up until the point his life had started to slip away. That action alone spoke louder than all of the apologies or protests of change the chimera could ever make. It even had won him over in Scott’s eyes.

Now he was sleeping here, in Liam’s bed. The beta sighed. It wasn’t fair how twisted up Theo was inside. He wished he could smooth everything out and make it all better. With Hayden it had been easy, even with the childhood history they had. With Theo things just felt so much more intense. And complicated. Liam knew he shouldn’t like Theo, he should stay as far away from him as possible.

_He’s my responsibility._

The words came to him in a flash. Why had he done it to being with? Had it been Hayden’s idea, or his? He wasn’t sure any more, they had talked about it so much. Maybe it had been his. Had he really thought Theo could help them with the Wild Hunt? Or had it been for selfish reasons? To punish the chimera? To keep him close? It didn’t matter. Theo had helped them. He’d proven himself a strong ally.

‘You’re a pain in the ass.’ Liam said. Theo skin was warm and soft. His breathing was steady. Definitely asleep. His face looked so peaceful. It would probably be bad to kiss him. Where had that thought come from? Sure, Theo was hot. And he smelled good. That didn’t mean he wanted to kiss the chimera. Except it did. And he wanted to, badly. But it would be better if Theo was awake. What if he didn’t want to be kissed? What if he didn’t like him back? He needed to talk with Mason before he made another move. This was too confusing to sort out on his own.

Liam put his head back down on the pillow. He slid his hand off of Theo’s chest and stared at the ceiling. He knew something was wrong—Scott wasn’t telling him something. The alpha had been getting him to gathering up boxes and papers and take them all to Derek. He wasn’t sure what the evolved werewolf did with them, but he knew whatever they contained was dangerous. Scott trusted him not to look through things so he’d kept out of them. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it had something to do with Theo. Tomorrow he’d confront Scott—they’d all been through so much together, he owed them the truth.

As Liam drifted to sleep he felt Theo turn on his side, back to him. He’d have to talk to the chimera, too. The last thought he had before sleep took him was if Theo might like to go to the movies with him.

Theo felt his fangs sink into his tongue. Liam was going to kill him. If he could just figure out what was going on inside everything would go back to normal. Seeing Liam wouldn’t make him ache so much. Being so close but not touching wouldn’t cause him pain. Whatever the sensation was he felt was annoying and inconvenient. When he was sure Liam was asleep he rolled back over and looked at the werewolf’s face. Liam’s sideburns were growing out again, small soft hairs travelling down his jaw. He liked the beta’s hair—it made Liam look a bit wild. Any longer and he’d look dishevelled. He wondered what it would be like to watch Liam get a haircut. His hand moved before he could stop it, touching the strong line of Liam’s jaw. The new feelings inside filled him up, making it hard to breathe. Was he in love with Liam? He liked the werewolf, that was a for sure thing. He was attracted to him. But love? Was that this strange feeling? It was better than the crushing shame or guilt that came with the nightmares, but it was still frightening and strange.

To love Liam. What did that mean? The voices screaming in his head were silent. The memories that haunted him had fled. Maybe Liam was the answer to his problems. Theo bit his lip. No one would know if he reached out and took the beta’s hand in his own. Liam was dead asleep, and they were alone. Theo scanned the room. Yes, alone. He glanced at Liam’s face, studying it as he reached out with his hand, laying it on top of the beta’s. It was warm. Kind of soft. Liam mumbled in his sleep and Theo nearly pulled away. After the werewolf settled Theo got bold, pushing his palm to Liam’s and fitting their fingers together.

Theo’s heart raced. He was holding hands with Liam. What was he doing? This was crazy. This was doomed to fail.

_Theo Raeken. Failure._

No. Not this. Whatever this was, it was outside of the shadows that surrounded him. It was the one thing outside of himself that meant something. He wouldn’t fail at this, whatever it was. Liam snorted in his sleep, scratching his leg. Theo frowned. For some reason he loved this weird idiot. If it came to it he would sacrifice himself to keep Liam safe. But until that happened, he was going to keep the beta as close as possible.

###


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a heart-breaking trailer for this fanfic:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omOQ8VhPFlk&
> 
>  
> 
> Also if you find mistakes (you will) I was very, very tired when I did this.

‘I can do it.’ Theo said, watching Liam pour a cup of orange juice. Liam had woken up before him, making breakfast for both of them. Which in Liam’s world meant eggo waffles and bacon. Lots of bacon.

Liam grinned and slid into the chair across from Theo, devouring his waffles with a speed that made the chimera worry he was going to choke. He poked at his food, not feeling much like eating. Or rather, feeling like a thousand different things were going on inside—some of them painful and confusing. He frowned, remembering when he was talking Liam that people only felt one thing at a time. He was wrong there.

‘Do you want eggs or something? I can do eggs. I don’t even burn them that much anymore.’ Liam said. Theo raised an eyebrow.

‘I’m not hungry.’ Theo said.

‘How’d you sleep?’

‘Good.’ Theo mumbled.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’

‘I can tell something’s up.’

‘How?’ Theo mocked.

‘Because you haven’t called me short once. You haven’t called me an idiot. You haven’t made fun of me at all.’ Liam said, counting on his fingers. Theo felt his cheeks flush.

‘Theo!’ Liam sounded panicked. The chimera shot to his feet, rattling all the dishes on the table, ready for danger. ‘Was that a blush?’

‘What?’

‘You’re blushing!’ Liam’s surprised look morphed into a huge grin.

‘How can I not, you keep waiting on my like a butler. I’m embarrassed for you.’ Theo sat back down, reaching for his coffee.

‘Nuh-uh. You’re lying. I can hear it.’ Liam teased.

‘Shut up.’ 

‘That sounds like the old Theo.’

_The old Theo…_

Before he had a chance to dwell Liam was off to answer a knock on the door. When he opened it Scott, Derek, and Stiles were standing there. 

‘Hey guys…’ The beta trailed off. Something was wrong.

‘Liam. Is Theo here?’

‘Yeah we’re just making breakfast.’ Liam stepped back, letting them inside. Theo watched them enter from his seat at the head of the table. He kept his eyes trained on them—his whole inner world might be out of balance but he could still spot a threat when he saw it. Derek’s posture was that of someone ready for a fight. Stiles was more stiff and awkward than normal, and Scott looked like the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders.

‘We’re out of waffles.’ Liam said, unaware how serious the situation was.

‘Liam.’ Theo stood, moving to meet the trio in the living room. The beta looked up at Theo as he came to a stop next to him. ‘They’re here for me.’

‘Um, yeah. Didn’t you hear Scott?’ Liam’s tone fell flat when he noticed the serious looks on the faces of his friends.

‘They’re here for me.’ Theo repeated, voice unusually soft.

‘Scott?’ Liam frowned.

‘He’s right.’ The alpha said, a look of pity in his eyes as he faced both boys. ‘There’s been a gathering of the nearby packs.’

‘Why?’ Liam asked.

‘To talk about the chimeras.’ Derek said.

‘I don’t understand.’

‘After the chimera pack roamed free there other alphas in the area became concerned. But then they either died or were bitten like Hayden. That solved the problem. Until you brought Theo back from the skin walker’s prison.’ Derek said.

‘He’s changed.’ Liam said, hand resting on Theo’s shoulder. The chimera fought against leaning into the warm touch. He could feel the anger starting to come off of the beta.

‘I know.’ Scott said, looking directly at Theo. He could tell the alpha was sincere. ‘Believe me I know. That makes it so much harder.’

‘What does that mean?’ Liam asked, turning to Stiles, ‘What is he talking about?’ 

The human glanced up, then kept his eyes on his feet.

‘I’m dangerous.’ Theo’s voice was a whisper. He knew that this would happen. He knew that if he let his guard down it would kill him. And he had let it happen. He’d let Scott McCall and his precious beta corrupt him with their stupid ideals and naive notions of good and fair. And it was about to kill him unless he did something about it.

_Teeth tearing. Gnawing. Though flesh._

__

__

_Through bone._

_Through steel._

_Breaking._

Liam jumped when he realized Theo had shifted beside him, faster than he’d ever seen. The chimera stepped back, lowering his center of gravity, lips pulled back into a snarl. They were right. The Dread Doctors were right. Strength was all that mattered and he was strong. He couldn’t defeat Derek and Scott together, but he could get around them, head for the forest. Run.

Theo flexed his claws, letting them extend to their maximum length. It had to be done fast, without holding back. He’d kill them if he—

—couldn’t kill them.

Theo shook the thought off. He could do anything. He was a weapon. A monster and proud of it.

‘Theo.’ His name. In the end that’s all it had taken. His name spoken by the beta werewolf at his side. What would he do without Liam? Where was his place in the world beyond the boy that had yanked him out of the ground? 

‘Theo, calm down.’ Liam rested his hand on the chimera’s bicep. Theo snarled, eyes trained on Scott and Derek, both werewolves had shifted and were ready to subdue him. Scott glanced at his beta quickly, concerned for his safety. Theo growled—how dare Scott think he would hurt Liam.

Liam grabbed his wrist. Theo’s first reaction was to strike out, but it died inside of him when he turned to look Liam in the face.

_‘I know it hurts, but you’ll be ok. Alright?’ Cale smiled, holding his hand._

Theo’s world fractured. The boy seemed so real—his face was full of worry. Concern. Something else was there too, something deeper that made Theo’s shift melt away. Then the strange boy was gone, and Liam remained in his place, the same look on his face. Caring. 

Suddenly Theo felt very tired, falling forward. Liam caught his weight, holding him up as Scott and Derek rushed forward. Liam growled at them, putting his body between them at Theo.

‘Explain.’ Liam’s voice was raw, eyes flashing gold. The anger was just beneath the surface. Held in check for now. ‘Why did he react like that?’

‘He figured it out.’ Derek said.

‘Figured out what?’

‘Chimeras are dangerous.’

‘Theo isn’t how he used to be. He’s changed. You said it yourself Scott—he could never have taken Gabe’s pain like that if he was the same Theo that came back with the Dread Doctors.’ Liam shouted.

‘Liam, that’s not what makes him dangerous.’ Scott said.

‘Theo doesn’t follow the rules.’ Stiles said for the first time since getting there. He glanced at the chimera’s tired face.

‘Chimeras aren’t supernatural. And they’re not normal either. They’re between both worlds. The rules don’t apply to them. They have no place.’ Derek said. ‘They can take power like a human dipping a cup into a stream. The natural weaknesses we have create a balance. Chimeras have no weaknesses.’

‘The other alphas are afraid that if we leave them unchecked they could turn against all of us.’

‘They?’ Liam asked.

‘Corey, too.’

‘But he’s…Corey! He would never hurt anyone! Theo wouldn’t either!’ Liam looked to the chimera leaning against him. ‘Okay, I mean he might hurt someone but not in a dangerous way.’

Scott shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, Liam.’

‘What are you going to do with him?’

Scott looked at Derek. The evolved wolf nodded his head.

‘We met to discuss… eliminating. Theo and Corey.’ Scott said. Liam’s hackles rose, a loud growl coming from his throat. Scott held up his hands.

‘But we managed to convince them to meet. Plead our side of things.’ Scott said. Liam relaxed a little. ‘We need Theo to come with us. Corey is already waiting in the car.’

‘And what if they don’t listen?’ Liam asked. ‘What if they want to kill them?’

‘Liam…’ Scott said.

‘Promise me you won’t let them!’

‘Liam, I can’t!’ Scott yelled. ‘Do you know how hard it was to even get them to come this far? To get them to meet? They were going to attack us. Kill all of us just to be sure that there wasn’t a chimera in our pack. That’s how serious this is.’

‘You always have a plan.’ Liam whispered. ‘You always save everyone.’

‘Not this time.’ Scott said, looking away.

Liam clenched his jaw.

‘I’m coming.’

‘Liam, you can’t.’ Stiles said.

‘Theo is my responsibility. I took Kira’s sword and released him from the ground. I accepted the consequences. If Theo’s life is on the line then mine is too.’ Liam said.

‘That’s not—‘ Scott frowned as Derek’s hand rested on his shoulder. The evolved werewolf gave Liam a hard look.

‘No, we can’t.’

‘If that’s true he’s honour bound to come, Scott. The customs are clear.’ Derek said.

Scott gave Liam a brief nod. Liam wouldn’t let them help get Theo into the car. He got Theo into his truck, the chimera was still reeling from the torrent of memories that were struggling to get free inside of him. He watched the trees go by, barely taking in the scenery. He tilted his head, studying Liam’s face. The boy was scowling as he drove.

‘Face’s gonna freeze like that.’ Theo said.

‘You’re seconds away from getting a death sentence passed and you’re joking,’ Liam huffed.

‘It’s pretty funny. Hilarious.’ Theo said, trailing off. ‘That I would get this far…’

Liam clenched his teeth together. His heart was racing. He didn’t care what it took—he would protect Theo. If Scott tried to stop him…

Theo knew Liam was upset. He knew he should be afraid. He didn’t like pain. He didn’t want to die. He couldn’t settled on one single emotion—he felt detached and distant. This wasn’t something he was equipped to deal with. Deaton said he wasn’t broken. That he could heal. Now it looked like that would never happen.

As they turned onto an unfamiliar backroad Theo fought the urge to close the gap between himself and Liam. The beta looked so far away. He was upset. Theo wanted to tell him that it would be fine. That after he was gone Liam would be able to stop worrying about the trouble he might cause, or defending his presence to the rest of the pack. But he couldn’t. He hated himself for not wanting to say those things, for being selfish enough to think that someone, anyone, could actually love him.

He could see the jeep stopping a few hundred yards ahead. He rubbed his hands on his knees. He couldn’t tell Liam that he’d be gone soon, and no longer his problem. But while there was still time he could tell him the other things.

‘I held your hand.’ Theo said.

‘What?’

‘I said I held your hand. Last night, when you were asleep.’ Theo licked his lips. He didn’t have the words. Or he did, but he’d only ever used them to hurt and torment people. To get what he wanted. Using them after that felt wrong.

‘I know.’ Liam said, eyes on the road.

‘You were awake.’ Theo said, leaning his forehead against the cold window.

‘I was awake.’ Liam said. Theo gave himself a mental kick. He was going to spend the last moments with Liam in a very awkward car ride. Movement caught his eye. Liam’s hand rested on the seat between them, palm up. The beta looked straight ahead, eyes on the road, but it was a clear invitation.

‘Fuck it.’ Theo said, taking hold of the beta’s hand. It was warm and strong and Liam squeezed his fingers tight as if that alone could pull them from this situation.

‘You’re sweaty.’

‘Excuse me.’ Liam said, ‘Next time we drive you into the jaws of doom I’ll make sure to bring a towel.’ 

Theo smiled. Liam came to a stop behind the jeep, parking the truck and turning off the engine. They sat in silence as Scott and Derek got out, leaving Stiles with the jeep. Scott glanced over at them, waiting.

Liam looked down at their hands.

‘I’ll let go.’ Theo released his grip. Liam held tight, jaw set in determination—he wasn’t going to let go. Theo nodded, grasping the beta’s hand again as they both slid out the passenger side door. Scott saw their clasped hands then glanced away.

They closed the distance to Corey, walking alone.

‘Where’s Mason?’ Liam whispered. The chimera looked at him. He’d been crying. Corey shook his head. Liam fumbled, reaching out to take Corey’s hand. Together they walked behind Scott and Derek.

They walked until the cars were far behind them. The trees gave way gradually opening to a clearing. Several flat stones were stacked in a circular formation. Mrs. Finch stood at one stone. Peter and Brett each stood at their own. There were three strangers watching their every move—Liam guessed they were the alphas of the nearby packs.

Derek stopped the boys from approaching the circle, waiting for Scott to take his place at a stone. Derek gestured for them to stay as he went to the stone beside Peter’s.

‘What’s this? We were told there were only two.’ One of the alphas spoke. She was taller than Derek, a length of blonde hair pulled up and out of the way. Her clothes were expensive, making her look out of place in the forest. Liam felt her cold, grey eyes pass over him, scrutinizing.

‘The one in the middle is my beta.’ Scott said.

‘He hardly looks enough to subdue to chimeras.’ The second alpha spoke—a man with short brown hair and stubble. Hiking boots and jeans made him seem more in his element than the last alpha.

The third alpha stood in silence, watching them. His skin was darker and his brown eyes were patient, taking in everything. 

‘He’s not…subduing them.’ Scott said.

‘Then why is he here?’

‘He was responsible for Theo’s return.’

‘The ressurectionist.’ The blonde woman gave a thin-lipped smile. ‘He’s not pure.’

‘I bit him.’ Scott said, back straight, ‘If you respect me as a true alpha then you have to accept him as my beta.’

‘We accept him, but that doesn’t mean he has any place to speak here.’ The brown-haired alpha said.

‘Gee, didn’t know the middle of the woods was so exclusive.’ Theo said.

‘Its life hangs in the balance and it dares to speak?’ The woman crossed her arms, glaring at Theo.

‘Theo…’ Scott pleaded. The chimera nodded. His demeanour was aloof and nonchalant but everyone in the clearing could smell the barely suppressed fear coming off of him.

‘This is a waste of time.’ The man said, ‘What can we possibly gain from this?’

‘The beta wishes to speak.’

‘What can he convince us of that his better couldn’t?’

‘He’s…he’s mine.’ Liam’s voice trembled. All eyes turned to him.

‘Speak up, mongrel.’ The blonde commanded.

Liam glared. ‘Theo is mine! I am responsible for everything he’s done since he came back from the skin-walkers.’ 

‘Insolent pup.’ The woman stood, eyes flashing blood-red. Scott let out a low growl, halting her before she could leave the stone she stood behind.

‘This doesn’t change the fact that there are two chimeras left alive.’ The strange alpha spoke. ‘And he isn’t an alpha. There’s no precedent for him to have a place here.’

‘I want to hear.’ The third alpha finally spoke. He gestured to the centre of the circle. The others were clearly upset but held their tongues. Liam stepped into the circle alone, feeling Theo’s fingers slip away.

‘You spoke of the _’ánti’įhnii._ ’ The alpha folded his hands, ‘The skin-walkers. Very dangerous creatures. How did you come to deal with them?’

‘One of our pack, Kira, is a _kitsune_ and sought to train with them to control her powers.’ Liam said. The alpha clicked his tongue against his teeth in a disapproving noise. ‘She returned and used her sword to open the ground to send Theo to hell.’

Liam looked over his shoulder at the other boy. Theo’s eyes were focused on the ground, standing beside Corey who looked around in fear.

‘And you made a deal with the _’ánti’įhnii?’_

‘No. I… I used Kira’s sword to bring Theo back. So he could help us fix the Wild Hunt.’ Liam said.

The alpha nodded. He waved for Theo to come forward.

The chimera looked at the others definitely, but as he approached the third alpha he kept his eyes down in submission the entire time. The alpha approached him, circling and nodding to himself. He came to a stop in front of Theo, taking his hand and gently pressing on two place of his wrist, pushing Theo’s claws out, surprising the chimera. Before Liam could form a growl the alpha smiled at him.

‘I will not hurt him.’ The voice was sincere. Liam nodded, glancing at Theo.

The alpha turned Theo’s hand over, inspecting his claws before letting the chimera’s hand drop. He took Theo’s jaw in hand and pressed at the back of his mandible and under his chin, forcing fangs to emerge, looking at them carefully. Theo felt his nerves calm. The scent of this alpha was powerful and but him at ease, even though he was surrounded by potential enemies.

The alpha took Theo’s head between his hands and fixed it in place, letting his dark red eyes flash, drawing a response from Theo’s own golden irises. The alpha looked carefully at them. Theo didn’t dare look away. There was something in the alpha’s eyes that calmed him inside. The man gave him a sad smile.

Corey braced himself as the alpha reached out, resting a hand on the boy's head. He leaned down, looking in Corey's eyes. Patting the chimera on the head, he returned to his stone. 

‘That chimera,’ The alpha pointed at Corey, ‘has no claws or fangs. His heart is his own. He is no threat.’

‘No wait a minute—‘

‘This one however,’ The alpha looked at Theo, ‘Has gifts that do not belong to him.’

‘No. When I brought him back he lost all his power.’ Liam said.

‘Not what I mean, young one.’ The alpha tapped his heart. ‘The thing that makes him dangerous is here.’

‘He must be killed.’ The woman spoke. The old alpha held up his hand.

_‘Ni’n teluisi Sakej, aqq wiki maqtewe’kamu’k ulawej._ I am Sakej of the Black Night howl.’

‘I am Olivia, alpha of Ombre pack.’ The blonde woman said.

‘I’m Eli, alpha of Red Oak pack.’

‘Brett, last of Satomi’s pack.’ The lanky werewolf gave his friends a sympathetic look.

‘Jane, alpha of Feral pack.’ Mrs. Finch said, looking at the boys with an unreadable expression.

‘Derek, alpha of the Hale pack.’ Eli scoffed as Derek spoke.

‘You don’t even have the eyes.’

‘Last year Derek went through the rite of second birth.’ Sakej chuckled. ‘He is more powerful than you and Olivia combined and more than worthy to stand in this circle.’

‘Peter Hale. Personal advisor.’ Olivia glared. Peter winked at her.

‘Scott McCall, alpha of the..uh… McCall pack.’ Scott said.

Sakej looked to the centre of the circle.

‘Uh.. Liam Dunbar of the McCall pack.’

‘Corey. Corey Bryant. Of the McCall pack?’ He said, looking at Scott. The alpha nodded.

‘Theo Raeken.’ Theo said. ‘I don’t have a pack.’

‘Packless abomination.’ Olivia spat.

‘Nice to meet you, too.’ Theo sneered. She flashed her eyes at him, giving a commanding growl. Liam felt himself look away out of reflex. The other alphas moved slightly but didn’t give in to her presence. Theo continued to smile, unaffected.

‘Insolence!’ Olivia said, ‘He doesn’t even acknowledge our strength.’

‘Packless. That’s one problem on top of many.’ Eli said looking at Scott, ‘Your pack doesn’t claim him?’

Scott hesitated. Theo had changed. But Theo had almost torn them all apart.

‘I claim him.’ Liam said.

‘Liam…’ Derek said.

‘Do you know what that means?’ Sakej asked.

‘That… that he’s my responsibility. That I pay for the consequences of everything he’s done.’

‘And will do.’ Olivia said.

Liam gave a stern nod.

‘More than that.’ Sakej said, ‘to claim him means taking him as a mate. It means you’re bound together until one, or both, dies.’

‘Mate?’ Liam asked. He tried to meet Theo’s eyes but the chimera had them shut tight, keeping his breathing calm. Would that save Theo? He looked at Derek—the werewolf’s face was grim and unreadable. Liam looked at Scott. The alpha’s face was pulled into a deep scowl. He gave a subtle shake of his head. Liam turned his back to his alpha. Scott wasn’t able to promise he would save Theo. Or maybe he just didn’t want to. Liam didn’t understand—he gave Hayden the bite and let her run off, and here was Theo who needed help more than anyone, and Scott was willing to turn his back on him, even after admitting Theo had changed.

‘Even if the puppy claims this…creature,’ Olivia said as if every word disgusted her, ‘That is only one problem. The other remains.’

‘The fact that he is unstable. Dangerous.’ Eli nodded.

‘He’s not unstable.’ Liam said, taking Theo’s hand.

‘He’s coming undone.’ Sakej said, ‘It’s clear to all of us here. Somehow he’s lost control. He’s unpredictable.’

‘That’s because he took Gabe’s pain!’ Liam pleaded. They had to understand—Theo would never hurt anyone. That Theo was gone, left in the ground with all of the power he’d stolen.

‘Impossible.’ Eli said. ‘We’ve been following the Dread Doctors’ experiments for decades—there is no way they would create a being capable of taking the pain of another.’

‘He did! I was there!’ Liam said.

‘Are there any other witnesses?’

Corey raised his hand.

‘An abomination vouching for an abomination. Hardly credible.’ Olivia said.

‘There’s no way to verify this claim.’ Eli said, ‘Unless another alpha was present?’

The remaining alphas and Brett remained silent.

‘You can look!’ Liam said, pointing to Theo’s neck. ‘You can see for yourself with your claws!’

Olivia stiftened. Eli chuckled.

‘She doesn’t have that particular talent. But I do.’ Eli said, extending his claws with a flick of a hand. ‘But… a chimera. I wouldn’t know how to enter his mind and not damage it.’

‘Then do it to me.’ Liam said, pushing the hair up from his neck. Theo looked at him with wide eyes.

‘Very well.’ Eli walked up to Liam before anyone could make a move to protest and sank his claws into the beta’s neck. They both froze, not blinking, not breathing. Theo was about to tear the alpha away from Liam, growling when Derek stopped him.

‘Theo! If you pull his claws out you’ll hurt Liam.’

Theo stepped back, a low growl in his throat drawing the attention of the rest of the alphas in the circle. Eli pulled his claws out, striding back to his place, wiping his claws off.

The others looked at him as he collected himself. ‘He’s telling the truth. The chimera took a dying boy’s pain.’

‘Impossible!’ Olivia said.

‘It’s true. Their experiments were far more advanced than we ever thought.’ He said with a dark look on his face. Theo grabbed Liam, taking his weight as the beta recovered. Something in Eli’s tone…

‘There are others.’ Theo said, putting it together. Deaton had been trying to warn him but he had been so caught up in everything going on in his head that he wasn’t thinking clear enough to pick up on it. ‘There are other chimeras.’

‘Not like him.’ Olivia looked at Corey.

‘Like you.’ Eli said. ‘First chimera candidates.’

‘How many?’ Theo asked.

‘Fewer now.’ Olivia smirked. ‘The good doctors weren’t very thorough in their clean up. We’ve been putting down creatures like you for years.’

‘Not like him.’ Sakej said. ‘Not one that could take pain.’

‘You’re not serious.’

‘You know how it works. If he can take pain he can be healed.’

‘None of them can be healed. You know what was done to them. Years of torture. The conditioning. They are all broken. Better to put them out of their misery.’ Olivia said.

‘Your family has always looked down on everyone of our kind that doesn’t have a bloodline.’ Derek said. ‘Scott got the bite from Peter and he ascended to true alpha. From a bite. Theo is no different.’

‘You’re biased.’ Eli said. ‘Too close to see things clearly.’

‘And you’re too hell-bent on wiping out chimeras to stop and see what’s in front of you.’ Derek held out his hand to Theo and Liam, hands clasped together.

‘Theo was with the skin-walkers. He’s been changed, stripped of his powers. Whatever the Dread Doctors did to him is also unravelling. He empathizes.’

Olivia snorted. Derek frowned.

‘How do you explain the taking of Gabe’s pain then?’ Jane asked. 

‘I will not be talked down to by a wild animal.’ Olivia said.

‘Like it or not, Olivia, the facts are plain. Theo Raeken is able to care for others. He is able to form pack bonds even if he has yet to be claimed by a pack. And he has someone who is willing to claim him.’ Derek said.

‘That may be, but he’s still a danger.’ Eli said. ‘Maybe it’s best we err on the side of caution.’

‘If we did that each of us would bear the burden of taking an innocent life.’

‘Innocent? We know what he’s done.’ Olivia said.

‘The matter is unclear. Chimeras have a different nature than ours. As far as I’m concerned it would be taking the life of an innocent.’ Sakej said.

‘Exactly, chimeras have their own nature. They are built for suffering and pain. They’re very existence comes from death. They can never escape that.’ Eli said. ‘He must be killed.’

Derek looked at Sakej. The man was lost in thought.

‘Consent must be unanimous.’ Derek reminded them.

‘I’ve seen too much killing.’ Sakej said, ‘Death when your people came from across the ocean. Death among my people. Our howls are small now and we run in secret. The killing has diminished us.’

He gestured towards Theo, ‘Here is the chance to make a bridge. A chimera that feels. That can be healed.’

‘We have not heard from the creature. Perhaps it doesn’t wish to be healed. Perhaps it likes to kill.’ Olivia smirked.

‘You’ve heard us speak, Theo Raeken. You can say your piece if you have it.’ Sakej nodded.

Theo looked at Liam. Their hands had been locked together since Eli looked in Liam’s mind.

‘I don’t want to die.’ He said, ‘I don’t want to hurt anyone.’

‘Others have said the same.’ Olivia said.

Sakej held up a hand.

‘There is a way.’ The alpha said, ‘Liam has willingly taken on the responsibility of Theo’s actions and may take his place.’

‘What?’ Scott said. Derek shook his head. Scott stood his ground, clenching his jaw shut, trusting the older man.

‘Liam, are you fully aware and willing to accept dying in Theo’s place if that is the decision that this circle comes to?’ Olivia asked, cold eyes studying him.

Liam looked at Theo. The chimera gripped his hand tight and shook his head.

‘I am.’

‘No!’ Theo yelled, standing in front of the beta to shield him. ‘No! I get a choice here! I have a voice! He’s not responsible for me—you can’t hurt him! Hurt me! Punish me! Kill me…’

‘You said yourself that you didn’t want to die. That you didn’t want to feel pain.’ Sakej said. ‘Were you lying?’

‘No.’ Theo said, looking at Liam, ‘No. But you can do anything you want to me. As long as Liam is safe.’

Sakej leaned back on his heels, a dark look on his face turning to a wide smile. Olivia folded her arms, looking away. Eli was deep in thought.

‘What?’ Liam asked, confused.

‘What’s going on?’ Theo frowned.

‘You wanted proof.’ Sakej said, ‘He was willing to die to protect Scott McCall’s beta. His heart, though dangerous, is undeniable.’ 

‘This is foolish.’

‘Theo stays with us.’ Scott said, raising his hand. Brett nodded, raising his hand immediately. Jane Finch slowly rose her hand along with Derek—Peter raising his hand a tiny bit behind his nephew.

Sakej raised his hand. Eli hesitated, then raised his hand. All eyes turned to Olivia. She folded her arms.

‘You claim him as your mate?’ She asked Liam. The teen turned to Theo. Seeing no protest he nodded.

‘Then I will concede. But if he shows any signs of dangerous behaviour…’

‘You’ll kill me. We get it.’ Theo said, nerves frayed.

‘No.’ She said with a smile. ‘He will have to.’

Theo glanced at Liam.

‘He’s made you his responsibility. The duty falls to him.’ Sakej said.

‘That’s fine.’ Liam nodded, ‘It will never happen.’

Olivia smiled at him. ‘Don’t be too sure, Liam Dunbar. Hearts can be fickle. They change at a moment’s notice.’

‘This matter is settled.’ Sakej said, stepping back. Liam watched as he transformed into a huge grey wolf, red eyes gleaming. He howled, waiting. Several howls in the distance answered. Before Liam could clock him he was gone. By the time he looked back the other alphas had disappeared, leaving Brett, Derek, and Scott.

‘Liam, what the hell did you just do?’ Scott asked, spinning his beta around to face him. ‘You can’t just be… mates with Theo. That was way to rash.’

‘I saved him, didn’t I?’ Liam said, throwing Scott’s inability to make the promise in his face. Liam looked at Theo, the chimera was silent, not speaking. He met Liam’s eyes and the beta knew that they would talk later, in private. For now all that mattered was that they’d convinced the other alphas that Theo was no threat. He was safe.

‘Liam, do you realize that in front of six alphas you made a claim on Theo? This isn’t something that you can brush off.’ Derek said.

‘I’m not brushing it off!’

‘Liam! This is serious!’ Scott said, ‘You and Theo will be… together. Like you and Hayden were. Do you get it?’

‘Yes, Scott.’ Liam said, grabbing Theo’s hand. ‘I get it. I understand.’

Scott deflated, mind racing to try and think of what to do.

‘What about you, Theo?’ Derek asked in a low voice, ‘You have a say in this as well.’

‘If he’s smart he’ll stick with it. It’ll save his life.’ Brett said.

‘He’s biased.’ Scott pointed out.

‘I don’t know.’ Theo said. Liam squeezed his hand.

‘It’s okay.’ The look Liam gave him wasn’t lost on any of them. The chimera shifted his hand, threading his fingers with Liams.

‘Yes. I’m okay with it.’ He muttered.

Scott shook his head, walking back to the jeep. Derek studied them for a minute before clapping them both on the back, following Scott. Corey squeezed Theo’s shoulder before heading back.

Brett lingered, eyes on their clasped hands.

‘Do you actually care about him, or is this another McCall pack gamble?’ Brett asked.

Liam looked at Theo. The chimera’s heart was calm.

Brett chuckled. ‘Never mind. It was a stupid question.’

The tall boy walked away, giving them a wave, ‘Try your best to keep him under control.’

‘Okay?’ Liam said.

‘Wasn’t talking to you, firecracker.’ Brett disappeared into the forest, leaving Liam frowning. They stood together for a moment, Liam became painfully aware of how sweaty his palm was getting trapped next to Theo’s.

‘I’m sorry.’ He said.

‘For what?’

‘I didn’t mean to force you into this.’ Liam said. Theo studied the beta’s face—Liam was being sincere. Theo shook his head. He’d fought this for so long, letting some one close. It made him weak, but he couldn’t help it. He’d been alone so long. He knew it was selfish, that Liam deserved a better life. A better partner. But he couldn’t help himself—he needed to be close to Liam. The thought of leaving him alone paralyzed him with fear. So did the thought of Liam being hurt because of him, because of what he was.

‘Do you think I’m stupid?’ Theo asked, moving closer, pressing their chests together. He could feel Liam’s pulse through the meat of his thumb, hear his heart speed up.

‘No.’ Liam swallowed. Theo leaned in—their faces inches away from one another. Liam could feel the heat of Theo’s skin on his own as the chimera’s breath tickled his neck.

‘Good. Because I want this. I know I shouldn’t but I do.’ Theo said, ‘I’m selfish. I’m twisted. But there’s only one thing I care about.’

‘What?’

‘You, idiot.’ Theo said. His lips teased Liam’s, grazing gently. The touch was enough for to encourage the beta. Liam leaned forward. The kiss was shy but hungry, testing and tasting. When he pulled back Theo was smiling. It was a rare sight, and suddenly all Liam wanted to do was make Theo smile over and over again.

It didn’t stay long. The shadow of the words from the circle of alphas turned it into a fading echo. The chimera rested his head against Liam’s, all of the stress and worry he’d bee holding in came spilling out of him in an exhausted exhale.

Liam guided him back to the truck, driving back to his house. He’d managed to get Theo upstairs and into bed, wrapping his arms around him. Theo felt safe. He felt secure. He hated himself for it. A small part of him, the Old Theo, was screaming inside to cut loose and run. Run until no one could find him. Survive.

What did it mean to survive if that’s all there was to life? Running and hiding. It had consumed most of his life. A toll he was now paying as he fought to make sense of everything. Liam was getting the worse part of the deal—bound to a failed science experiment that couldn’t even fulfil the purpose he was created for.

What about Corey then? He had been made for a purpose—to resurrect the Beast. That was over and done, never to be repeated. What did it mean for him then? His purpose was brief and now over. Except he continued to live. He was happy with Mason. It wasn’t fair to compare them though. Theo had spent so many years with the Dread Doctors, studying and learning the lessons they etched into his ever-healing skin. Deaton said he wasn’t broken. The alphas at the circled said he was. They said all of the first chimera candidates were…

There were others. Like the boy he kept seeing. There were others out there like him. Failures in their own way, continuing to live. Maybe they had answers. Maybe they could help. If he could track one down and just talk to them, maybe he could figure everything out and fix himself.

_Weak. Stupid. Worthless._

Theo stiffened. It was hard to ignore the instinct the machine men had burned into him. He looked past Liam’s strong arms to his own hands. A chimera was a composite creature, made of many parts. Where had his parts come from? Where there people out there, some missing fangs? Some missing eyes? These things didn’t occur to him before. To make him what he was the Dread Doctors had stolen from others. Probably killed. Did he bear that weight too? How many had died to perfect him? He only remembered snippets. Being let out of tank when he was fifteen. He’d never questioned before that. He’d taken everything the Dread Doctors said at face value and played into their hands all while thinking he was superior. Smarter. Stronger. He was none of those things. He was weak. Small. Nothing.

He felt Liam drool on the back of his neck and mumble in his sleep. Liam had done this. Liam had messed him up—it was his fault. As much as he tried he couldn’t summon any real anger for the beta. Only a moderate annoyance that Liam was drooling on him. No, this wasn’t Liam’s fault. It was his. And he would fix it, starting with tracking down another chimera like him and getting some answers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The puppy back gathers to figure out a strategy to go behind the new alphas in order to find the remaining chimeras and get answers to the dread doctor's experiments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theres some swearing and some feelings and a racy moment (but it doesn't get smutty).
> 
> Sorry for the spelling/grammar mistakes :|

‘This is fucking bullshit!’ Mason said, hand slamming down on the counter. They’d gotten dozens of texts from Mason the entire time they’d been meeting with the alphas. Corey had filled him in on what had happened and Mason demanded Liam and Theo head to his place immediately as soon as they woke up. They pulled into the driveway, instantly dragged into the house by one fuming Mason.

They stood in a loose circle in the kitchen. Corey sat at the breakfast bar, a look of pure stress on his face. Theo stood next to Liam, watching Mason pace around the kitchen, worked into a frenzy over what had happened at the meeting.

‘And Scott just stood there and let this happen?’ Mason asked his best friend.

‘Pretty much.’ Liam said, not impressed with how his alpha hadn’t supported him.

‘He said his hands were tired.’ Corey offered.

‘Screw that—when has anything ever stopped Scott from stepping in and saving everyone. Even Theo.’ Mason glanced at the chimera. He still wasn’t sure how to deal with everything, but he had seen him take Gabe’s pain, which meant that Theo wasn’t an unfeeling monster at the very least.

‘There has to be a reason.’ Liam said.

‘Liam, he held Corey and Theo out as human sacrifices!’ Mason looked between the two boys, ‘Okay, chimera sacrifices! Scott would never do that!’

‘Exactly!’ Liam said, getting worked up. ‘Corey’s right. Scott knows something, and my guess is that it has to do with the other first chimera candidates the alphas were asking about.’

Mason crossed his arms. Corey came up behind him, pulling him close by the hip.

‘It does make sense.’ Mason said, ‘But I’m still pissed off.’

‘So am I.’ Liam said, glancing at Theo. Mason faltered slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Liam had made no secret about being attracted to guys as well as girls, but growing up there was no one he’d been keen on so it had never come up in detailed discussion. even when Mason tried to figure out Liam’s type so he could set him up the beta had been so broad and clueless that Mason could have taken his description and applied it to any mammal with two legs. It was a shock to hear that he’d agreed to me mate to Theo. He didn’t think Liam even knew what it meant. But Corey was adamant that Theo hadn’t tricked him, hadn’t cornered him into it. And Liam did seem to be genuinely concerned about the chimera. Something that was making Mason question his own grudge against Theo.

‘What now?’ Mason asked.

‘Corey and Theo are safe for the time being. But…’

‘But?’

‘You weren’t there, Mase. Those alphas, they’re strong. And they hate chimeras.’

‘Some chimeras deserve it.’ Mason muttered.

‘Dude, cut it out.’ Liam gave him a look. Mason glanced at Theo, sitting and staring off into space. He looked different. Almost vulnerable. He hadn’t said a word the entire time they’d been standing in the kitchen. He frowned as Corey set a cup of coffee down in front of Theo, who accepted it with a brief smile. It was true, his boyfriend was a chimera, but not one like Theo. Or the one Theo used to be.

‘Can we talk? Alone?’ Mason asked. Liam looked at the two chimeras, talking softly to each other.

‘Sure.’

‘I thought you were gonna get pizza.’ Corey looked hopeful.

‘You drive.’ Mason tossed Liam his keys.

###

Liam adjusted the seat in Mason’s car before pulling out of the driveway and heading downtown, heading to Corey’s favourite pizza place.

‘Going deep dish?’

‘Every time.’ Mason said. ‘It’s all he eats ever since we tried it a few months back.’

‘What was that, date number twenty-two?’ Liam smirked.

‘Twenty-eight, thank you very much.’ Mason said. Liam’s eyes were on the road, merging two lanes over. Mason took the chance to study his friend—Liam looked worn down. Tired. But there was something else there, something that he couldn’t quite place.

‘Liam, did you really agree to being Theo’s mate?’ He asked. Liam visibly stiffened, knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel.

‘Whoa, calm down. This is a friendly inquiry.’ 

‘Does friendly include bashing Theo in any way?’

‘No. Just some questions. That’s all.’

Liam nodded. ‘Then yes. I did really agree to be Theo’s mate.’

‘Did they tell you what it means?’

‘A little, but we were kind of busy, what with the murder-death-kill alphas yelling at us to really get into the details. But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me now.’

‘It’s Scott’s duty as your alpha…’ Mason trailed off. Scott probably didn’t even know, since he’d been tossed into the world of the supernatural against his will.

‘Being Theo’s mate means it’s just him and you. Forever.’

Liam gave a curt nod.

‘Liam. You and Theo. Forever. Like, bonded together. Linked. Like how an alpha and a beta are joined.’

‘I understand the concept, Mase.’

‘It’s just…you’re not acting like you do.’

‘How am I supposed to act? Like I hate him? Like I don’t want anything to do with him? I like him, Mase. I want to be with him.’

‘This isn’t just to protect him?’

‘Mase…’ Liam growled.

‘I just want to make sure you don’t get hurt.’

‘Really? Or is it that you can’t forgive Theo for what he did and you’re holding it over my head as well as his?’ Liam asked.

‘He killed Scott.’ Mason hissed, ‘He wanted to kill me after the Dread Doctors turned me into…’

They drove in silence.

‘I didn’t know you remembered that.’ Liam said.

‘I don’t. Not really. But I have dreams…’ Mason said.

‘Nightmares.’

‘Yeah.’

‘You wake up screaming. Sweating. Afraid.’

Mason frowned. ‘How do you know?’

‘Theo has nightmares, too.’ Liam said, pulling into the parking lot of the pizza parlour and turning the engine off. He was out the door before Mason could open his mouth. He slumped back in his seat, mulling things over. Liam genuinely liked Theo. Why did it have to be him of all people? Why couldn’t it be a wendigo, or even a berserker.

Mason sighed. Theo wasn’t the problem—not any more. He was the problem. He didn’t feel comfortable with Liam being with the chimera, even though he knew Liam could protect himself, at least in a fight. But when it came to matters of the heart Liam was a new born lamb. Hayden’s leaving had devastated him, and though time and passed and he shared a history with Theo, Mason just hoped Liam wasn’t rebounding to the first person that paid him any attention.

He would try to be nice to Theo. Or at least be neutral. That might be a better place to start. He’d manage for Liam’s sake, but if the chimera showed a single sign of going rogue he’d be ready.

###

They both frowned as they pulled into Mason’s driveway. The jeep was parked by the curb, stuffed full of Scott’s things. Liam took the pizza from Mason’s arm. The scent of anger was wafting off the human in waves as he stalked inside.

They sat in the living room—Corey and Theo on the couch and Scott sitting across from them in the arm chair. Scott stood as Mason entered, an unsure look on his face.

‘Get out.’ Mason said, pointing. The alpha looked away then shook his head.

‘I’ll leave after we talk. Please.’ 

‘You were about to let strangers kill Corey and Theo, and you didn’t even let any of us know what was going on.’

‘I couldn’t.’ Scott said, rubbing his hands on his jeans. ‘They came to me weeks ago, out of courtesy. They were ready to kill us all, just for helping chimeras. It took everything Derek and I had to get them to agree to a meeting. I knew that if they could just see how Corey and Theo were different, that they might have a chance. And it worked.’

‘What if it didn’t?’ Liam asked. ‘What if they had turned on us? Attacked us? What then?’

‘I would have stopped them.’ Scott said. Liam picked up on the uncertainty in his alpha’s voice. Scott’s eyes snapped up to Liam’s, pleading.

‘I was protecting you. This whole time. What do you think was in that box you gave Derek?’ Scott said.

‘The talons…’ Theo whispered.

‘The mask. Anything the Dread Doctors left behind the other alphas might find. They would have never agreed to a meeting if they knew any of those things existed.’

Theo looked at Scott—emotions played across the alpha’s face that he couldn’t place. The scent changed too fast.

‘Liam, what you did…it’s not too late.’ Scott said, watching as Theo stood slowly, eyes down.

‘Yes, Scott. It is.’ Liam said. He took a step backwards to stand beside Theo.

Scott looked at Theo, dragging his eyes back to Liam. ‘I know he’s changed, but he’s still dangerous.’

‘Not to us. Not to me.’ Liam took Theo’s hand. The chimera hesitated for a second, Liam nudging him to open his fingers.

‘Liam… Derek told me about what it means. To take a mate. You shouldn’t be forced into this.’

‘What is it that makes you all think I don’t get it. I know what it means!’

‘No you don’t!’ Scott said. ‘Liam, please. We’ll think of another way.’

‘When? After you drive to college and get settled in your dorm three hundred miles away? Or after Olivia and Eli attack us as soon as you turn your back.’

‘They wouldn’t.’

‘How can you say that?! You were there!’ Liam yelled.

‘They won’t hurt Corey. And Theo…’

Liam straightened to his full height. Theo felt Liam squeeze his hand. The beta’s jaw was set but Theo could feel him trembling. It took strength and courage to speak back to the alpha. Theo squeezed back, willing Liam to take any comfort or support he could.

‘I claim Theo Raeken as my mate. He is my responsibility. I am his.’ Liam looked over at the chimera. Theo felt a lump form in his throat, the force of Liam’s hand almost crushing his fingers. ‘His pain is my pain. From this point on we share the same fate.’

Liam looked in Scott’s eyes, ‘If he dies, I die.’

Scott shook his head. He held up his hands.

‘Liam, I’m sorry.’

‘There’s nothing to be sorry about.’ Liam said. He looked at Theo, eyes clear and open. 

‘This is what I want.’

###

They watched Scott drive off in the jeep. Liam never thought the responsibility of protecting Beacon Hills would be left to him like this. He knew that one day Scott and the others would take off like Stiles had. That they’d leave everything in his hands. But not like this. Scott hadn’t spoken after Liam’s declaration. At the door he’d said quiet goodbyes and left a note with his address and other details. 

Liam knew that his alpha would return one day, but for now they were on their own. Mason put his hand on Liam’s shoulder.

‘What now?’ Corey asked. ‘Scott’s gone. Everyone is gone. What’s to stop the other alphas from just…coming back?’

‘Nothing.’ Liam said. ‘Scott might trust them, but I don’t.’

‘So we’re gonna fight them?’

‘We’d never win. Three alphas with mature packs?’

‘Two.’ Liam said, ‘I’m pretty sure Sakej wouldn’t attack us. He was the one who got the others to cave in and let Theo live.’ 

‘Alright,’ Mason said, ‘So we only have two murder-death alphas after us now. The question still stands—what do we do now?’

‘We find the others.’ Theo said.

‘The others?’

‘We find the other first chimera candidates.’ Theo said.

‘And this helps us how? They’re monsters.’ Mason asked. Corey let go of Mason’s hand before the human could take back his words.

‘Corey. That’s not what I meant. I mean, they’re different.’

‘Yeah, they’re different. And that makes it okay to hunt them down and kill them in cold blood.’ The chimera said.

‘Babe…’ Mason dropped his hands, falling back into the arm chair. Corey settled in beside Theo. Mason sighed. ‘What would we get even if we had a way to find them, which we don’t.’

‘Sakej said that Theo wasn’t like the others—that he could take pain and that proves he can be healed. Maybe we can help the other chimera candidates.’ Liam said.

‘This is crazy.’ Mason said.

‘When is it not crazy?’ Liam asked. ‘There are who knows how many people out there. Probably scared. And hiding. Being hunted down by werewolves just because some insane freaks decided to experiment on them as kids.’

‘I hate it when you turn things around like that. You make the crazy seem like the right thing to do.’

‘That’s because it is.’ Corey said.

‘What about you?’ Mason asked Theo. The chimera looked at him, eyes uncertain. It unnerved Mason to see so much emotion in Theo’s face.

‘If there are others out there, I have to find them. I have to know.’ Theo said.

‘Okay. So, we don’t know how many chimeras are out there. And we don’t know how to find them. But we do know that if those other alphas find out they’re not going to take it sitting down.’ Mason said, working through their plan.

Theo held up the small bottle that Deaton had given him for his nightmares.

‘We can use this to find them.’ 

‘You told me that was medicine to stop your bad dreams.’ Liam said. Mason watched the two of them engage, body language open and directed at one another. Some to think of it, Liam had been spending a lot of time with Theo, especially since their crazy plan at the old zoo. Maybe it was his fault for spending too much time with Corey. But that sounded crazy. Liam didn’t work like that—if he was spending time with Theo it was because he trusted him on some level. Maybe claiming him as a mate was not so farfetched.

‘It is.’ Theo said, ‘Well, that’s what I use it for. It lets me control my dream. Kind of. Usually I use it to shut things down. But I could… go deeper.’

Liam frowned, arms crossing. How was he supposed to protect Theo in a dream?

‘I don’t like this idea.’

‘Do you have a better one? Liam, if I don’t do this then we’re basically sitting here while the other alphas pick off chimeras.’

‘I don’t want you to get hurt.’ Liam said, resting his hand on Theo’s shoulder. The older boy looked away. Liam always made it harder to think, to focus. But this was important. He couldn’t turn away from it.

‘I know. But Liam… the other chimera candidates… we were just kids. The things they did, I don’t remember a lot of it, but I know it was bad. I can’t stand by and stay safe when they’re being murdered for now reason except they were tortured and conditioned to be… what I am.’

Liam took Theo’s hand, holding it tight.

‘How do I help?’

Theo looked at Mason. The human sighed.

‘My mom has some sleeping pills. I think we can mix them with a very small amount of wolfsbane to help Theo get to sleep fast. Then I guess we wait for him to find something in his dream that gives us a lead.’

‘Great. I’ll get the bed ready.’ Liam said.

‘What now?’ Mason asked. Corey shot him a look. ‘Now it is.’

###

Theo was laying on the pillow, Liam at his side holding his hand. Corey leaned against the wall beside Mason, elbows touching. Theo had drank Mason’s foul concoction. He already felt drowsy, trying to open the bottle. Liam took it from his hands as he fumbled.

‘Put it under my tongue.’ Theo said, eye lids drooping. Liam took out one of the leaves, pushing it under Theo’s tongue and closing his mouth. As Theo drifted to sleep he felt Liam press their foreheads together. He tried to smile. Liam was such a dork.

###

He was standing in the tunnels. Sounds were echoing all around him—snarls and growling. Eating. Tearing. Theo took a step forward, looking down at the liquid around his feet. The water was red with blood. He tried to find a dry spot to get out of it, but the tunnel was flooded.

A sound made him turn. Behind him stood a small boy with golden hair and big eyes. One hand was bloody and bandaged. Dark circles were under his eyes that looked up at Theo, waiting.

‘Cale?’

The boy pressed a finger to his mouth. Theo winced seeing the blood soaking through the bandages at the end of the boy’s fingers.

The vicious sounds had stopped. Theo spun around. The sound of soft crying echoed along the tunnels. He walked towards them, trying to pinpoint the direction they came from. Every turn looked similar. Every part of the tunnel matched the next. Everything blended together, one moment into the next.

Theo stopped, heart pounding. This felt familiar. Smelled familiar. He’d been here before, but the memory was haze. Hard to pin down.

He didn’t flinch when a small hand took his. Suddenly he was nine again, letting the strange blond boy lead him down the winding maze of tunnels. The sound of crying got louder with each step.

There was a crack of light in the darkness—a small grate looking outside. Theo paused, peering out at the hills and trees. An old derelict building sat in the distance next to a rusty radio tower. Small hands tugged him away from the grate. Theo opened his mouth but the boy shook his head, leading him back down the tunnel. It was important that they get there. If they were caught out of the cage the machine men would hurt them all.

Theo shook his head. He needed to focus. The boy pulled him into a chamber that opened along the mouth of the tunnel. Blood ran into the water from the shadows of an operating theatre that looked similar to the one in Beacon Hills. There was something there in the dark, watching him with blue eyes, a low growl mixed with rasping breath as the creature struggled to breathe.

Theo turned away, towards the cage. One of five. Made out of blackened steel. The huddled forms of children were hard to make out. Each cage had dozens. Some were still. All were silent. The boy Theo followed had slipped between the bars to join a small circle of children. He glanced over his shoulder, waiting. Theo reached out, pushing one of the weak bars aside by pure instinct, making his way inside. The faces of the others were hard to make out, blurry in his mind. Parts of them snapped into focus—bloody gauze. Bandages. Missing limbs. Claws. Teeth. Eyes. Their eyes, all on him. Watching him.

They stood in a circle around a small figure laying on the floor. The boy was leaning beside her, whispering. Trying to comfort her. Theo stepped forward. The figure moved away from him afraid. Theo stopped. Her face came into view, bandage covering her right eyes, bloody from a recent operation. She looked at Theo with fear, clutching the boy beside her. Theo looked at him, confused. The boy was staring at him.

Theo felt his face, finding matching bandages similar to the girl on the floor. He followed them to his right eye, which was closed. He felt it. It hurt.

_Fog. Haze. Drill. Cut. Tear._

_Pain._

Theo jerked his hand away. The uncomfortable chatter of the machine men filled the chamber. They’d returned.

The children huddled in the corner. Theo turned to face the dread doctors, standing in front of the others. His heart raced, fear taking root deep in his belly. The machine men could hurt them so easily. But he wouldn’t let them any closer. he wouldn’t let them hurt any one else. They could hurt him all they wanted. They could do anything to him, if they left the others alone.

The machine man stepped back, conferring with the others. Theo realized he’d been speaking in a voice from years ago. Echoes of memories torn from the back of his mind. He’d stood up to them. Tried to protect the others.

The high-pitched whine of the machine men made him turn just in time to see them. He roared, exposing fangs and a single hand of claws. Beneath the bandage on his face he knew one eye was golden.

They came for him, reaching through the bars like they weren’t there. He lashed out, slashing with his claws, biting their arms. They fought back, slamming him against the stone wall several times until he felt limp. He looked up at the other children—desperate looks on their faces. A flicker of hope that he might succeed.

Theo redoubled his efforts, biting down hard. The machine man dropped him. He attacked them with his claws as best he could, making them back up. A strangled cry came from behind him. A warning. He turned in time to see the cane come down on his head, then there was nothing but darkness and the sensation of cold water climbing up his body. He couldn’t see the tank, but he knew they were putting him in. He hated the tank. Hated the machine men. He held onto the flame of hatred deep in his heart. Tara’s heart. He would get them one day. Use them like they’d used him. He’d make them hurt.

###

‘Theo!’ Liam yelled, gripping his shoulders. ‘Calm down! Calm down! You’re safe!’

Theo’s chest heaved. Liam’s face was bloody. Behind him the bed was in tatters. Brett and Corey were nearby, covered in cuts and blood. Brett’s claws and fangs were out, eyes watching the chimera. Mason and Nolan hovered beyond them, trying to figure out what to do.

‘What happened?’ Theo’s throat was dry. His tongue felt thick. He reached into his mouth pulling out the soggy herb under his tongue.

‘You started to freak out. Your heart was beating like crazy. We called Brett to help when you got violent.’ Liam looked at his bed. There was no way to salvage it.

‘You okay?’ Corey asked. Theo shook his head. He took in the carnage of the room. The cuts on Liam and Brett were healing fast, but the blood Theo made them shed was still on his hands and all over the room.

He felt a pressure between his shoulders, a cold knot in his guts, making him double over.

‘Theo, it’s okay. We’re all okay. Right?’ Liam said, rubbing his back.

‘Yeah.’ Corey said. Liam glared at Brett as the werewolf let his claws retract.

‘Got me pretty good but it’ll heal.’ Brett said, looking at the slash marks that had turned his shirt into tatters.

‘I hurt you.’ Theo whispered. Liam strained to hear. He gathered Theo into his arms, holding the chimera tight. He could feel Theo’s hot tears soak into the fabric covering his shoulder.

‘I’m okay. I’m not hurt. It’s already healed.’

‘I’m a monster.’

‘You’re Theo.’ Liam rested his head against Theo’s. ‘You’re my Theo. I’m not going any where.’

Theo felt the pressure in his chest slowly release as he leaned into Liam. He wrapped his arms around the beta, the thrum of his heart was calming. Steady. Theo exhaled, releasing all of the tension and phantoms of once-forgotten pain.

‘Thanks.’ Theo said. Liam nodded, helping him to his feet.

‘Did you see anything?’ Corey asked. Theo nodded.

‘Do you have a pencil and paper?’

Mason grabbed some from his book bag, handing them over to Theo. The chimera kept the image of the hills and old factory he saw from the grate outside. He sketched the radio tower and the old signs that were half-rusted over. The pencil stopped as a flash of the girl’s frightened face filled his mind. He pushed the paper away.

Mason took the paper and went downstairs to try and find out where the spot was. Theo rocked back on his heels.

‘There’s something else.’ Brett said, catching the distressed look on Theo’s face. He looked up at the werewolf.

‘There were so many.’ Theo said.

‘First chimera candidates.’ Brett confirmed.

‘How many?’ Liam asked.

‘We were just kids…’ Theo trailed off.

‘Theo, how many do you remember?’ Liam asked.

‘Dozens. Dozens of us.’ Theo muttered. ‘All in cages. Some were…’

He felt sick suddenly. Liam was leading him to the bathroom, helping him as he vomited—the images of the other children he was held with running through his mind. He felt Liam’s hand on his back and fought the urge to push him away, to curl up into the corner and avoid contact like a sick animal.

_Weak._

Theo shivered. He pushed past the voice in his head, past the instincts that didn’t belong to him. That were put there by the dread doctors—drilled into his skin. He found Liam beneath everything, his warm hand moving in soothing circles. Liam was always there. Helping him. Protecting him. Liam was the only one he could trust, the only one he could rely on. Liam would help him find the answers he needed. He’d help him find the boy with the bandaged hand and the girl with one eye. They would do it together. He wasn’t alone.

Liam helped Theo clean himself up. After the third round of brushing his teeth Theo felt better. He watched the chimera closely—Theo’s eyes were dark even though he’d been sleeping for over a day. His hair was greasy and he smelled like stale sweat, fear, and blood.

Theo closed the lid on the toilet and sat, shoulders sagging. Liam went past him, turning on the hot water. As the shower started he reached down, pulling Theo shirt off.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Helping you into the shower.’ Liam said. Theo let him pull his shirt all the way off, hair splayed out in a mess. Liam reached out before he could stop himself, smoothing Theo’s hair back.

‘Pants.’ Liam said. Theo stood, letting Liam undo the button of his jeans.

‘Never knew you were so forward, Dunbar.’ Theo said, watching Liam’s face turn red.

‘Shut up.’

‘Yes, dear.’

‘I’ll leave you on your ass in the shower.’ Liam threatened. Theo chuckled, stepping out of his pant legs. Theo stood in his underwear, leaning on Liam. He looked the beta in the eyes, raising an eyebrow.

Liam cleared his throat. ‘I can—‘ He stopped, voice breaking.

Theo chuckled.

‘I can turn around.’

‘I’m not shy.’ Theo said, ‘And we’re…mates now. Or soon.’

Liam nodded. Theo could smell how nervous he was.

‘You’ve seen me naked before. Once. After a shift.’

‘Not like this…’ Liam said.

Theo smirked, pushing his underwear down and stepping into the shower with wobbly legs. He straightened himself, catching Liam’s eye and smirking. His confidence lasted for a few seconds before he slipped. Liam dove forward, catching Theo before his head hit the tub. The shower soaked him, making his hair and shirt cling. He looked up at Theo cradled in his arms. The chimera looked vulnerable. Soft. Liam knew his heart was racing and he didn’t care. Theo’s face was next to his. Their noses grazed, tips bumping each other. Theo leaned into the touch, and Liam’s breath caught in his throat as he felt the chimera’s wet skin press against his. Their lips were touching—Liam could feel Theo’s trembling against his. He pressed forward, the kiss more of a question than anything.

_Are you alright?_

Theo froze, then kissed back.

_I’m fine because you’re here._

Liam broke the kiss when he noticed the water had reached the edge of his jeans. he laughed.

‘I’m soaked.’

Theo got to his feet, pulling Liam into the shower. He started to pull Liam’s shirt off. The beta was slow to react, but once his brain caught up he was yanking his clothing off as quickly as possible. The warm water flowed across their bodies as they embraced. Liam felt slightly out of place—he was used to Hayden. Theo was completely different, muscles taut and shoulders broad. He felt the same raw urgency in the chimera as Theo attacked his neck with his mouth, leaving a trail of faintly healing bite marks.

Liam’s hands roamed across Theo’s back, feeling the strong muscles move as the chimera’s attention turned insistent. It was new territory, but there was nowhere else Liam wanted to be.

###

Brett was smirking at them when they came downstairs, freshly dried hair sticking up.

‘I’ve heard of people taking cold showers but that sounded fairly hot.’ The tall werewolf said. Liam felt his face burn. Theo’s arm was a welcome weight around his waist, drawing him close—like he needed Liam to be in physical contact all the time to feel safe.

Corey looked sheepish. It was annoying having other supernaturals around.

Liam glanced up at Nolan. The scent of the boy’s embarrassment and discomfort was plain and clear. The freckled boy shifted from foot to foot. Liam caught his cautious glances at Brett. The born wolf was pretending to be oblivious but Liam could tell he knew Nolan was staring at him every chance he thought the coast was clear.

‘Mason found something.’ Corey smiled, proud of his boyfriend’s resourcefulness. The rest of them made their way to Mason sitting at the kitchen table in front of his laptop.

‘This looks like an old radio tower,’ Mason pointed to the drawing Theo had made, ‘so I looked into different spots using some of the words on the sign that Theo saw in his dream and I narrowed it down to these three spots. And we’re in luck since we can street view two of them.’

Theo leaned in as Mason called up the first spot. Theo frowned and shook his head.

‘That part is all wrong. There were no trees there.’

‘Well it was like a decade ago or something.’ Nolan said. ‘Maybe trees grew?’

‘Not that fast.’ Mason said. He clicked on the second one. As soon as it loaded Theo shook his head, pointing to the additional buildings around it.

‘Horizon is off too.’ He said. Mason nodded, pulling up the last spot. It was an overhead view of a remote factory, the remains of an old road snaking through hills and forest.

‘That’s it.’ Theo said. It was difficult to picture without seeing it directly but it felt like it matched. 

‘Here. There are some historic photos.’ Mason said, pulling them up. By the third one Theo was convinced. 

‘We need to get there. Today.’

‘Theo, it’s a four hour drive. There’s no way we can get there tonight.’ Mason said.

‘Tomorrow then. Early.’ Theo said, looking from Mason to Liam. There was hesitation.

‘Should we just run into a place the dread doctors used to use as a base? What if there are traps?’ Brett said.

‘Since when are you coming?’ Liam asked.

‘Since you called me at three am to keep Edward Scissor hands here from slicing you all to ribbons.’ Brett said crossing his arms.

Liam gritted his teeth. His impulse was to taunt Brett, but Theo scent, the warmth of his body calmed him. He huffed.

‘Fine.’

‘Fine?’

‘Yeah. We could use the help.’ Liam said. Brett made a curious noise.

‘What?’

‘Maybe you’re not as dumb as you look.’ Brett said, earning a soft growl from Theo. Brett turned his back slightly, body language open and apologetic. Theo calmed as Liam dug his fingers into thick hair to massage the base of Theo’s skull.

‘So we’re really going up there?’ Nolan asked.

‘No. You’re staying here.’ Liam said.

‘No way.’ Nolan’s voice shook. ‘I want to help.’

Liam sighed. Nolan was an open book as far as the guilt and shame he felt over his involvement with Monroe was concerned. Scott had intended to bring him into the fold, to dispel his fear of supernaturals. Liam guessed that fell to his shoulders, though he would have preferred to leave Nolan out of such a dangerous situation for his first glimpse of what they did.

‘Great. Why don’t we all just call in sick to school, pack our things and go on an insane road trip to find a secret, evil lair that may or may not hold clues to finding a whole bunch of other chimeras.’ Liam threw up his hands. When his declaration was met with silence he realized everyone was on their phones, making excuses to parents and guardians.

‘Done.’ Nolan said.

‘I was trying to be the voice of reason.’ Liam said. Brett snorted.

Theo rubbed the beta’s arm.

‘You guys suck.’ Liam muttered.

‘This isn’t like the other times.’ He said, ‘It’s going to be dangerous.’

‘And Monroe wasn’t?’ Brett said, pushing off the wall he was leaning on. ‘She killed Lori.’

‘I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.’ Liam said, raking fingers through his hair. ‘I mean it will be different because we potentially have three full packs on us if we do this. If we get caught.’

‘Then we won’t get caught.’ Brett said.

Liam glanced at Nolan.

‘I won’t get in the way.’ The boy insisted.

‘I’m worried you’ll get hurt.’ Liam said.

‘I’ll keep an eye on him.’ Brett said, stepping close to Nolan. The human blushed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

‘You were there,’ Liam looked at Brett, ‘Do you think Eli and Olivia would come after us if they find out what we’re doing?’

‘I’m surprised they haven’t already. They didn’t seem like the level-headed types.’ Brett said. ‘But I think you won them over when you claimed each other as mates. And Sakej seemed to be on your side.’

‘Would they risk going against him and his howl?’ Theo asked.

‘I’m not sure. They’re different from us. Before you showed up three of his family were there, all in wolf form.’

‘They call full shift?’

‘Worse.’ Brett said, ‘They all had red eyes.’

‘Is that possible? More than one alpha?’ Mason asked.

‘It is, but we’ve only seen Deucalion’s insane alpha pack. They were all killers.’ Liam said.

‘Not these ones.’ Brett said, ‘They’re different. All of them. And Sakej isn’t from around here. None of his howl are.’

‘Why are they here then?’ Corey asked. Brett looked at him, then Theo. ‘So he came just to hunt us down.’

‘Maybe not.’ Liam said, puzzling out some of the things the elder werewolf had said. ‘I think he came to help.’

‘He admitted to killing chimeras.’ Corey said.

‘I know, I know. I don’t like it either. But what if he had no choice? I mean, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would kill someone in cold blood. Not like Eli or Olivia.’

‘Maybe.’ Corey said. Mason rubbed his back.

‘So you think if Eli and Olivia come after us Sakej will have our backs.’ Brett said, ‘What about Derek and Scott?’

‘They made it clear that they can’t help us.’ Liam said. Theo frowned. He knew Liam was hurt by his alpha’s decision, but he could also appreciate it from Scott’s point of view. He did what he thought was best to protect them, even if it was the wrong decision. Theo imagined they must have threatened Scott badly for the alpha to react the way he had. He knew that they should get the rest of Scott’s story before making a move, but it would be impossible to talk Liam into it when he was in his current mood. Theo might have to speak to Scott directly. Or if he couldn’t get a hold of the alpha he’d go to Derek. But for now they were together.

Theo looked around the room as they broke into smaller conversations. A feeling welled up inside him. Something that was old and familiar. Something that reminded him of his dream, his memory, when he had stepped in front of the other children to protect them.

This was his pack. His family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The puppy pack heads to the hills to find a former Dread Doctor safehouse while Liam does is best to keep the peace between everyone. When they get there they find something unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Been having a bit of a hard time lately. Usually the updates are faster. Apologies for spelling mistakes or misplaced words. I should probably go over it again one last time but I'm basically mush and I think it's clear enough to share writing-wise and plot-wise at this point (though I may come back to clean stuff up later).
> 
> :D

‘No.’ Derek said, closing the door in Theo’s face. The chimera grabbed it before it fully closed, pushing it open. Derek took a few steps back into his apartment, folding his arms.

Theo looked at the door—dents where his fingers had gripped a little too hard.

‘Sorry.’

‘You need to leave.’ Derek said.

‘Not until you tell me what’s going on with Scott. And you. And The feral pack.’ Theo fumed, mimicking Derek’s stubborn body language.

He’d tired to talk Liam into calling Scott, but the beta was still hurt over how his alpha had treated the whole situation. Especially since he was holding back information after being adamant about never lying to pack members. Open and honest. Except now Scott was being vague, and now that he was off to college his absence was a constant reminder to Theo that Liam was in pain because of it. And in typical Liam fashion he was holding it all inside until it built up into a rage.

Talking to Scott wasn’t an option. Theo had his number and was ready to call him several days ago, but every time he thought about his childhood friend the only thing he could picture was Scott’s face in the library. The day he’d driven his claws into him. The day he killed Scott. The guilt and shame were overwhelming, causing him to throw his phone across the room. He couldn’t talk to Scott. Not like this.

Derek was the second option. Theo didn’t know him well, and Derek had a thing for scowling at him whenever he was around, but he seemed to be kind of a guiding light to Scott more than anyone else. It hadn’t been hard to track down the evolved werewolf. At first Derek just ignored him, but Theo was persistent—refusing to give up until he confronted Derek directly.

Now Derek was in front of him with a glare to end all glares on his face.

‘You can’t be here. They’re watching.’

‘Who?’ Theo asked, ‘Olivia?’

‘Olivia, Eli, Sakej, Finch… Hell who isn’t watching.’ Derek growled.

‘I’m not leaving.’ Theo said.

‘Does Liam know you’re here?’

‘He… No.’ Theo faltered. He could feel his resolve fade even though he knew Derek only brought Liam up to throw him off.

‘Things have gone better than I thought they would until now. You should leave before they get worse.’ Derek said, holding the door open.

This wasn’t fair. Scott and Derek knew something about chimeras. About him. Something they weren’t sharing and it was hurting them all. Putting them in danger. If they didn’t find out what it was… The thought of Liam hurt. Liam dying. Theo couldn’t handle that.

‘I’ve see them.’ Theo whispered. He wasn’t sure what he was going, but his gut told him to speak, to win Derek over. The words were jumbled in his head, unplanned and spontaneous. Following instinct and pain.

‘What do you mean?’ The evolved wolf slowly closed the door.

‘When I dream. Sometimes when I’m awake. Memories. Fragments.’ Theo felt his heart speed up. It felt like they were there, all around him—an army of ghosts waiting for blood. Waiting for his blood.

‘Who, Theo? Who do you see?’ Derek’s voice was low. Measured.

‘The other kids.’ Theo’s voice chocked and he looked away in embarrassment and shame. He hated this. He hated to be weak. To be vulnerable. He hated not knowing and being forced into this position out of a need to survive. A need to protect.

_Strike! Kill! Tear into him!_

Theo felt the instinct spike to the surface. His claws were out before he could do anything. Before they could aim for Derek he drove them into his own palms. Pain blossomed in his hands, radiating out and up his wrists as red drops spilled to the floor.

‘Theo?’ Derek’s voice had lost its edge. Where there was anger and annoyance there was now concern.

The chimera looked down at his hands, slowly unfolding his fingers. He watched the wounds heal, hands shaking with emotion. He glanced up at Derek and noticed his vision was blurry.

‘Sorry.’ He muttered, wiping his eyes on the back of his arm.

Derek sat him down at the table. Theo was vaguely aware of the evolved wolf moving in the kitchen, then setting a mug in front of him.

Theo looked at the steam rising from the amber coloured liquid.

‘It’s tea.’ Derek said in a gruff voice. ‘To calm your nerves.’

Theo gave a little nod, sipping carefully.

‘By telling you this I’m not just breaking a promise to Scott. We made a pact with Jane as well for the Feral pack. And Sakej. Not only that, but it could put your lives into danger.’ Derek said.

‘They’re already in danger.’ Theo said.

Derek sighed.

‘In your dreams. Memories. How many are there?’

‘Dozens.’ Theo said.

‘Bring that to four hundred and you’ll be closer to the actual number.’

‘Four hundred candidates? That’s… I don’t remember that many.’ Theo frowned.

‘You wouldn’t. There were numerous failed attempts before your group. Not just here, but all over the world. Usually close to the Nemetons, or places were children could be easily taken from their homes. Some of what the Dread Doctors did was… All of it is unforgivable.’

_You’re unforgivable._

Theo felt his shoulders tense up. Derek cleared his throat.

‘Olivia, Eli, Sakej, and others—they’ve been hunting down chimeras for years, trying to follow the Dread Doctors and put a stop to their experiments.’

‘Experiments like me and Corey.’ Theo said.

‘And Mason.’ Derek added. ‘When the other alphas came to us it was an attack. Scott and I barely managed to get them to back down, and then only because Sakej knew my mother. We managed to get them to talk. It wasn’t easy. There were numerous conditions. One of them I’m breaking now. Theo, chimeras have been around for the past few hundred years. Each generation became more refined as the Dread Doctors built up their practical knowledge.’

‘Until me.’

‘Not exactly.’ Derek said. ‘Mason was the culmination of their experiments. Well, one of the Dread Doctors at least. The others had different goals. But Mason was the peak of their overall success, even if he doesn’t remember it. Do you understand?’

Theo shook his head.

‘Chimeras are a stage of growth to something… else.’ Derek said. ‘For one of the Dread Doctors that something else was the Beast of Gevudan’s resurrection. For the others, we don’t know.’

Theo looked down at his hands—no trace of the wound visible on his skin, but the phantom of it was locked in his brain.

‘So I’m just a step in an equation? Or are you saying I’m going to change.’

‘Every chimera is different. Some don’t change. Some remain mostly human.’ Derek said, not meeting Theo’s eyes.

‘Is that why Scott was afraid? Why he didn’t want me and Liam together?’ Theo asked.

‘That’s part of it.’

‘What’s the rest?’

‘They showed us.’ Derek said.

‘What we become? What chimeras become?’

‘Yes.’

‘Show me.’

‘Theo…’

‘Derek, show me.’

Derek tapped his finger on the table. He nodded to himself and went to wall, pushing back a painting to expose a small safe. After punching in the code he opened it and pulled out a stained manilla envelope, sliding it across the table to Theo.

His hands shook as he touched the envelope, unwinding the small red string that held the flap closed. He took the pictures out carefully, spreading them across the table. Some were black and white. Some were in color. All of them were somehow alien and familiar at the same time.

The memory came in a rush as he looked at the blue eyes in one of the pictures.

_The boy pulled him into a chamber that opened along the mouth of the tunnel. Blood ran into the water from the shadows of an operating theatre that looked similar to the one in Beacon Hills. There was something there in the dark, watching him with blue eyes, a low growl mixed with rasping breath as the creature struggled to breathe._

__

__

_Blue eyes. What was there? What did he turn away from? The memory clawed at the back of his mind, desperate to escape. Desperate to be free. Cages. Restraints. Bolts screwed through bone into concrete._

‘Theo!’ Derek shook his shoulders gently.

The chimera looked around the room, coming to his senses. The table was on its side—photos all over the concrete floor of the loft.

‘I… I’m sorry. I don’t remember…’ Theo trailed off, the sight of one of the photos catching his eye.

Fangs in a snarling mouth. Sharp, curving claws.

Human eyes.

He was a monster.

‘Theo, are you listening?’ Derek said as the realization of what he was settled inside.

‘Yeah.’

‘Do you understand?’

‘Scott… knows. That I’ll become that. Or like that. He’s afraid. He doesn’t want to help because he thinks I deserve to die.’

‘No.’ Derek said. ‘He is afraid. He doesn’t want you to die. He just… he can’t help you. That was one of the conditions the other alphas set. And with the pack spread so thin… we thought it was best to resolve things diplomatically.’

‘You did this. You talked him into it.’ Theo said.

‘Sometimes you have to be strategic. There are other packs. Other powers in play. If Scott went full tilt at this he would have ended up getting himself killed. And all of us with him. Olivia and Eli aren’t to be taken lightly. If they find out I showed you this, it would be very bad. For everyone.’

Theo gave a grim nod. He understood.

‘Will you tell Liam?’ Derek asked.

‘No.’ Theo said. Every day since he took Gabe’s pain he’d been perched on the edge of a yawning chasm. Now everything was still inside. Calm. He knew what he had to do.

###

Brett sat in the backseat of the truck, legs cramped. He’d argued that he should be the one up front, not Liam. Theo had cut their bickering short with a single glare. Of course the chimera picked his mate to sit beside him. Now Brett was jammed in the back. If he weren’t so lanky he might actually be comfortable. Instead he got to listen to Liam babble about any and every concern and scenario that came to mind as they drove to the radio tower.

Brett wished he’d opted to wait and catch a ride with Mason and Corey. At least that way he would have an angry science experiment and a chronic worry wolf as travel companions. Even his attempt at getting the radio had been thwarted when he and Liam couldn’t agree on a type of music.

‘Then what if it’s a trap, and there’s like some secret army of Dread Doctors waiting for us and we all get captured. What then, Theo? And what if there’s like, weresharks. Or weretigers. Are there weretigers, Theo?’

‘I have to pee.’ Brett said in a monotone voice, spotting a gas station on the horizon. Anything to break up the endless stream of words coming from Liam.

‘What?’

‘We’ve been driving for two hours, Dunbar. I. Need. To. Pee.’ Brett said.

‘Oh. We can… there’s a spot ahead.’ Liam said.

Theo’s drummed his fingers on the wheel—he didn’t really want to stop. He wanted to keep going. It was like it was pulling him now—the memory in his head drawing him back to where it happened.

Theo glanced at the gauge—they did need gas. At least they wouldn’t have to stop twice.

He pulled into the gas station and turned the truck off. Brett leaped out, stretching his legs. The atmosphere in the truck was enough to give him a stress-induced ulcer. If werewolves could get ulcers.

The gas station was grimy and almost looked abandoned—the new LED lights and promo posters in the windows were the only hints that it was in service.

While Theo pumped the gas Liam and Brett went inside. An old man glanced up at them from his newspaper. He looked like a skeleton wearing a skin suit—eyes blue and watery. Brett spotted the washroom sign and pushed the door open, happy to be able to relieve himself.

A noise next to him made him close his eyes. He hadn’t noticed Liam following.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Trying to pee but it’s kind of hard when someone’s talking to me.’ Liam hissed.

Brett finished and quickly washed his hands. He went for the door as fast as he could.

‘Brett! Wait!’ Liam called. Brett sighed and spun on his heel in the middle of the small store.

‘I have to spend two more hours in that truck with mister silent and brooding and a werewolf who can’t seem to shut off his mouth, so please, forgive me if I want a few minutes to myself before I go insane.’

Liam’s mouth opened and closed several times before he composed himself.

‘Okay. Alright. Fair enough.’ Liam said and turned to look through the snacks. Brett pawed through the drinks, glancing up at Liam several times. He felt a little guilty for snapping—after all, they were all there to support the chimera. And possibly deal with a bunch of botched experiments left behind by the Dread Doctors.

Outside another car pulled up. Brett saw Mason, Corey, and Nolan get out and stretch their legs. His eyes lingered on Nolan. The teenager confused him. Part of him blamed him for what happened to his pack. For what happened to Lori. Even though he knew that it didn’t make sense—there was no way Nolan could have known. Gabe though…

Brett’s grip tightened on the can he was holding. Liam cleared his throat, glancing down with his eyes.

Brett exhaled and set the can down.

‘You okay?’ Liam asked. Brett was surprised. That was one annoying thing about Liam that always got to him—the earnest sincerity coupled with obliviousness. It was infuriating how Liam could be so pure sometimes. That alone wasn’t a bad quality—but the lack of awareness or understanding of what was going on was. The gravity of what they were doing. It usually made him lash out at the beta werewolf. This time he found himself nodding.

Liam glanced outside.

‘Nolan?’

Brett was surprised again. This new, more balanced Liam was a welcome change. Had Theo brought out these qualities in him, or was it the fact Liam had no alpha to depend on and had actually stepped up?

‘Yeah.’ Brett sighed. ‘I see him and I…’

‘Get all twisted up inside? Like, you think it makes sense. But then you remember all the stuff he’s done and it gets confusing. But he’s good, too. And you see that there and wonder how he did all the other stuff. But before you can keep it straight it’s like running into a wall and it all gets smushed together?’ Liam spoke in a rush.

Brett blinked.

‘Yes?’ How did he know all that. Brett followed Liam’s gaze—eyes landing on Theo’s broad shoulders as he went over the route with Mason outside. Did Liam really feel all of that every time he looked at Theo? Brett shook his head. As if life wasn’t already confusing enough.

‘Does it hurt?’ Liam asked. Brett didn’t notice him turn around. Liam was looking at Brett’s hand, clutching the scar on his chest through his shirt. Brett looked away, dropping his hand.

‘No.’ He grabbed a coke and brought it to the register. Liam watched him go. 

Brett was always hard to talk to, but lately they’d ben getting along better. Which only meant they weren’t at each other’s throats every five seconds. It wasn’t that Brett had mellowed out, but the loss of Lori, the loss of his pack had struck a blow that seemed to shake him to the core. Liam could feel it whenever the other boy tried to make fun of him, as if Brett was desperately trying to draw all the attention away from the fact he was barely holding together.

Liam paid for his snacks—snippets of the conversation coming from outside about Mason worried about getting lost. He didn’t mind being the outlet for Brett’s pain—there was no other way he could think of to help. If he was stronger, if he was like Scott, he would be able to help them all. But for now he’d do his best with Theo and Brett.

Liam stuffed his card back in his wallet, watching Theo from the window. The chimera’s body was tense, even in relaxed moments. He knew that Theo had snuck off to speak with Derek, but he didn’t know if he managed to get the evolved wolf to talk. The closer they got to the radio tower the quieter Theo got.

Walking outside, he tossed the snacks in the truck and walked over to Mason’s car where his friend was busy arguing with Brett and Corey about the fastest way to the radio tower. Theo stood by, stance rigid. Liam could smell the anxiety coming off of him as he moved in close. He wrapped an arm loosely around the chimera’s waist and drew him in so they were leaning against each other. Theo stiffened slightly, then relaxed into Liam’s body. The beta exhaled—he wasn’t sure that was going to work.

In the end it had been quicker to step back and let them figure out where to go. Mason still didn’t look convinced, but when it came to directions Mason was never convinced until they were actually there.

‘Hey why don’t you grab a ride with these guys. Make sure they know where they’re going.’ Liam said to Brett. The born werewolf nodded.

Mason opened his mouth to speak but Corey nudged him in the side, glancing over at Nolan who was busy on his phone. Mason’s eyes widened, nodding.

As they pulled out of the gas station Theo’s eagerness caused the tires to screech slightly. Liam clutched the arm rest, drawing Theo’s attention.

‘Sorry.’

Liam nodded. He wasn’t sure how to deal with this version of Theo. The past few weeks had been an emotional roller coaster. Part of him was relieved that Theo was feeling things so intensely—he knew there was more to the chimera than duplicitous smiles and evil plots. This wasn’t exactly the way he wanted that to be proven but that’s how things tended to go in the life of Liam Dunbar.

A flash of movement in the side mirror caught his eye. When he looked, it was gone. Whatever it was.

‘Someone’s been tailing us for the past hour or so.’ Theo said, glancing at Liam.

‘Who?’

‘Eli? Olivia? Not sure.’ Theo said. ‘But we’re not stopping.’

Liam nodded. They’d already decided on this course of action—it was the best way to protect Theo and to possibly help the other chimeras. Even so, the part of Liam that worried was growing with each moment they got closer to the radio tower.

###

The tower was at the top of a hill—the pavement had long since cracked and split. Theo’s truck had no trouble getting to the summit, but Mason’s car looked like it was trying to avoid every pothole and crack.

The entire top of the hill was surrounded in a rusting metal fence topped with razor wire. Signs warning people away had long fallen into disrepair, word stripped away by sunlight and time. The signs that were left had been heavily graffitied.

Theo parked the truck, locking it as soon as Liam got out. He walked up to the chains holding the gate together. The lock was large with signs of rust. He gave it a firm yank, tearing the tumblers and breaking it with little effort. Pushing open the gate revealed flat ground, mostly paved. The tower itself was made of metal and concrete, topped with wedged-shaped dishes pointing in four different directions. Colorful graffiti covered the cement bunker the tower rested on—the work of mischievous teenagers.

‘Why does it look so weird? I thought there’d be like a big dish.’ Corey said.

‘Well, it’s actually a microwave radio tower. See back in the— no one cares about this, do they?’ Mason said.

Liam shook his head.

Theo spotted the door to the bunker—blue paint peeling off the metal beneath. He walked toward it before Liam could stop him.

‘Theo.’

‘It’s fine. We’ve done this before.’ Theo said.

It was kind of true. Liam remembered wandering the tunnels beneath Beacon Hills, looking desperately for the Dread Doctor’s lair. It wasn’t until they found the Ouroborus engraving that they managed to get inside. Liam thought it was just a part of the tunnel. This time he’d be on the look out for snake-shaped things on the walls. And the floor. And anywhere else he could think of.

The inside of the bunker was small—four rooms. Everything had been torn out. Bare wires and tubes were the only evidence that the place had even been functional.

‘Well this was a waste of time.’ Brett said.

‘The Dread Doctors operate on a specific frequency.’ Theo said, poking around in the pile of papers and old boxes in the corner of one of the rooms. ‘If we can find something, anything, maybe we can tap into that and at least find out where they were.’

‘Not to be that guy,’ Nolan said, ‘But if you saw this place from inside the tunnels, doesn’t it mean they’re not here?’

‘The tunnel connected to this spot. They’re everywhere under the hills.’ Theo muttered.

‘So what are we looking for again?’ Brett asked.

‘Just… look for something that doesn’t feel like it belongs here.’ Liam said. He watched Theo run his hands along the cement walls, desperate to find something. Anything.

After an hour they came to rest in front of the bunker.

Brett held out his hands. Liam frowned. He didn’t need to deal with the tall boy’s difficult attitude right now. He was worried about Theo. He was the only one of them that continued to search, eyes darting to every corner and shadow. Liam could tell just by looking that he was tense. This place was supposed to have answers. Clues. Something that would tell them about Theo’s past. About what the Dread Doctors had done and why the alphas were so intent on killing them without a second thought. Instead they were left empty handed.

‘Maybe there’s a secret passage?’

‘Nolan.’ Mason turned to look at the other human of their group, ‘For the last time, there’s no secret passage. If there was we would have found it. This place is the size of a trailer.’

‘Doesn’t mean we didn’t miss something.’ Brett frowned as he watched Nolan deflate. The boy was just trying to be helpful.

‘I thought you wanted to leave?!’ Mason said, earning another nudge from his boyfriend.

Brett folded his arms and leaned against one of the cement outcroppings.

‘At least we have something to look at.’ He said, scanning the colorful graffiti. Liam watched Mason’s eyes widen.

‘What?’ He asked his best friend.

‘Huh?’

‘You made the face. The “Hey I have an idea” face.’ Liam said.

‘I don’t have a face for that.’

‘You do.’ Corey said, turning to Liam, ‘He does.’

‘Shush.’ Mason said, holding out his hands. ‘Just… when we were fighting the Anuk-Ite there was a fragment of its face on a piece of stone. But Deaton couldn’t see the whole thing until Corey turned… did the thing he does.’

‘Thanks.’ Corey said. Mason gave him a small grin.

‘You’re saying Corey needs to go dark and look around like that?’ Liam asked.

‘We already know that he’s connected to a different world. Or worlds.’ Mason said.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, on a sub-atomic level everything in existence is energy. Vibration. Different vibrations manifest in different ways. What if Corey is just changing his vibration when he disappears. I mean, he’s still here but he’s a higher frequency. He could see everything at his frequency and below. So us, basically.’ Mason said.

‘That is nuts. You guys do this stuff all the time?’ Brett asked. Liam shot him a look.

‘No.’ Theo said, nodding to himself. ‘That’s right. Corey is different from the rest of the chimeras. Mason might be on to something.’

Everyone turned to look at Corey, absently scratching his chest before cluing into the fact he was the centre of attention.

‘Huh?’

‘Do your thing.’ Mason whispered.

‘With everyone watching?’ Corey hissed.

‘Not that thing. The OTHER thing.’ 

‘Oh. Right.’ Corey blushed before fading out of sight.

They all stood, waiting for something to happen. After several minutes of shifting from foot to foot Corey re-appeared several feet away.

‘Mason was right.’ Corey said. He looked slightly freaked out. ‘There’s something here.’

‘Where?’ Theo asked. Corey hesitated, then reached out, taking Theo’s hand. One second they were surrounded by pack, the next they were alone, standing in front of a monolith-like structure several feet away that looked like it had always been there. The upper portion was etched with strange looking symbols. Below them the Ouroborus—the serpent eating its own tail.

Theo reached out, pressing the snake. He could feel the earth shifting beneath their feet. When he let go of Corey’s hand they reappeared in front of the pack in time to see a large part of the ground collapse inward as a tunnel opened up.

Nolan nudged Brett.

‘I knew there was a secret entrance.’

###

The tunnels smelled foul—decades of rust and rot filled the air. Mason and Nolan found it fairly rank, but the supernaturals fought to keep from gagging as they descended into the dark.

Theo stood, water pooling at his feet. This was the place from his memories. His dreams. This was the place they had held him. One of them at least. The only one that he remembered. Fingers reached out, brushing along faint claw marks in the tunnel walls. This was where they were kept prisoner.

The tunnels were a maze extending under the hills to several underground bunkers that were probably made in the fifties, Mason told them as he looked at the style of construction and pipes used. He pointed out a few odd looking additions and modifications. No doubt the Dread Doctors had used this as a base of operations at one point.

The deeper they went, the less of a sense of direction they had. Brett noticed Nolan lagging behind and fell back to keep pace with him. The boy reeked of anxiety.

‘What’s wrong? Don’t like small space?’ Brett joked. Nolan shot him a glance. Brett immediately felt like an asshole—that was exactly it.

‘Sorry.’ He muttered.

‘It’s okay.’ Nolan said.

‘Hows your ankle?’ Brett asked.

‘Pretty good. It was just a sprain.’

‘I know. But humans heal so slow.’ Brett smiled. Instead of getting a chuckle he watched as Nolan bit his lip. Brett knew that look, it meant Nolan was holding back.

‘What is it? It’s okay. We’re friends.’

‘We are?’

‘Sure.’ Brett said, choking down the part of him that seethed when he caught sight of the boy. Blaming him for his past deeds. Brett shoved it aside, focusing on the present like Satomi had taught him as a boy.

‘Just… You’ve always been like… You’ve never been human. Like Liam.’ Nolan said.

‘Born this way.’ Brett smirked, making Nolan chuckle.

‘What’s it like?’ He asked.

‘I'm not sure.’ Brett said after a minute, ‘What’s it like to be human?’

‘I dunno. Normal. I mean, I’ve never been anything else so I can’t say.’

‘Same here.’ Brett said. For whatever reason that seemed to satisfy Nolan. They were quiet the rest of the way, walking side-by-side, but Brett could feel the human relax, at least a little.

‘Theo, we’ve been down here for almost an hour.’ Mason complained. The chimera ignored him. It felt like they’d been taking random turns and getting nowhere. This wasn’t working. He knew where they had to go—he could feel it locked away somewhere inside. He just didn’t know how to bring it out.

‘Liam do you have the bottle Deaton gave me?’ Theo asked. Liam fumbled through his pockets before pulling out the small brown bottle. Theo opened it and took out one of the thin, dry leaves inside.

‘I thought you’re only supposed to use it when you sleep.’ Liam said. Theo could hear the worry in the beta’s voice, but they were so close. He tore the leaf in two and put one half under his tongue, closing his eyes. He immediately felt his knees give out. The taste of the leaf turned bitter in his mouth, making him spit it out as Liam took his weight to keep him from falling.

‘So much for that idea.’ Mason said.

The shook his head. That hadn’t worked the way he thought it would. As Liam helped him to his feet he heard something.

‘What is it?’ Corey asked, picking up on the shift in Theo’s mood.

Theo turned to the right, looking into the darkness of the tunnel. The faint figure of a small boy peeked around the corner before disappearing. Theo bolted after him.

‘Theo!’

He didn’t hear Liam as he ran, following the boy through the twists and turns—frantic to find the place where they’d been held. He came to a small crack of daylight spilling in from the outside. As he passed, Theo looked outside, catching sight of the radio tower in the distance. This was the spot. The place where Cale had taken him by the hand and led him…

‘Theo!’ Liam grabbed him. Theo jumped, claws out and ready to strike. He stopped himself at the last second, shooting Liam an apologetic look. The beta chose to ignore the exchange, focusing on the path in front of them now narrowed down to one single tunnel.

Liam took a step forward. He stopped when he felt Theo grab his hand. The chimera’s eyes were wildly searching the shadows. Liam relaxed, pressing his palm to Theo’s and squeezing to remind him he wasn’t alone. Theo slowly relaxed. He looked at Liam and gave a grim nod.

‘This is it.’

No one spoke as they walked down the tunnel into the open room and operating theatre beside it. Theo made his way to the large, empty cages built into the concrete of the room. The floor inside was dark with stains. The stale scent of old, dried blood hit his nose, making him shiver.

Liam watched as Theo reached out, pushing one of the bars aside where it had come loose. It clattered to the floor, making a space big enough for a child to fit through. Theo could hear his own heart beat thundering in his ears. In a twisted way, this was his home.

‘Guys?’ Mason looked up from rooting through a pile of discarded papers and books, ‘Theo.’

‘What is it?’ Liam asked as they made their way over. Mason held out a handful of papers. Mold and mildew had claimed sections, but the names were unmistakeable as Theo scanned them—Raeken, Alethea. Raeken, David.

‘I don’t understand.’ Liam said. Mason held up several more sheets.

‘This one is Theo’s. And Tara’s.’ Mason said. The files were mostly rotten but the names were mostly there. The rest of the details were faded or illegible. Medical records. Notes.

‘They were here.’ Theo said. His tongue felt heavy as he forced himself to speak. ‘They kept them here somewhere.’

‘Who?’

‘My parents.’ Theo said. A mother and father he remembered in fragments and slivers. No faces. No voices. Just feelings and gestures. Vague colors and shapes. The paper in his hands was the first real proof to him they existed outside of his mind. His dreams.

_Monster._

_Demon._

_FAILURE._

‘Why would they do that?’ Corey asked. A worried look crossed his face as Theo's hands dropped to his sides.

‘Not for anything good.’ Mason said.

‘Theo? You okay?’ Liam knew that bringing the chimera to this place would cause a reaction of some kind. Theo had retreated back into an unreadable state—something that reminded Liam of the way he’d been when he was manipulating the pack into destroying each other. A blank mask to hide behind.

Liam bit the inside of his cheek—it hurt to see Theo like this. He wanted to wrap his arms around him and protect him. But how could he protect Theo from something that happened in the past? How could he protect him from himself?

‘How long has this place been abandoned?’ Brett asked.

‘A decade at least.’ Mason said, ‘Why?’

Nolan held up an LED flashlight and a pen. ‘Someone’s been down here, recently. And some of these other books look like they’ve been opened.’

A loud crash caught their attention—a figure moved in a blur at the far end of the operating theatre as a surgical tray clattered to the floor.

‘Wait!’ Theo yelled, bolting into the darkness.

‘Theo!’ Liam chased after him, running through the dark, twisting tunnels.

Theo clenched his teeth—whoever it was he was chasing wasn’t human. They moved unnaturally fast. Almost faster than him. He had to push his speed and strength as far as they would go just to gain distance between them. He didn’t know if the others were following. It didn’t matter. He needed to catch whoever had been going through the Dread Doctor’s lair. Make them talk. Put and end to the nightmares.

The figure darted low under a series of service pipes jutting out of the stone. Theo narrowly ducked them as he sprinted. His teeth ached he was clenching them so tight—everything he had was focused on the chase. This was the closest they’d come to finding real answers. The closest he’d come since Gabe’s pain had shaken the foundations of his entire world. His goals, his fears, his past—everything was in front of him now, tearing through the darkness on two feet. All Theo needed was the upper hand for one second and he could close the gap between them.

The tunnel opened up, light spilling in from outside. The hill had slid away sometime in the past, taking a section of the tunnel with it and exposing it to anyone who knew where to look. The figure stumbled slightly, heading for the edge. It was the small advantage Theo had been waiting for. He lunged with the last reserves of his strength, claws catching the dirty hoodie the figure wore and yanking back, careful not to rip.

A strangled cry followed as the figure went still beneath him. He could hear their heart beat, their breathing erratic and frightened.

‘Theo!’ Liam ran up to his mate, looking down at the figure with caution.

‘Theo?’ The voice was small. Hesitant. Full of hope.

The figure rolled over—dirty blond hair clinging to her face. Theo took a step back, running to Liam. She propped herself up with one arm, a single green eye looking at them as the rest of the pack caught up.

‘Theo…Raeken?’ She studied the chimera’s face. Theo was frozen, struck by the image burned in his mind of the little girl crying in the cage after the machine men had cut her. Hurt her. Taken her eye.

She stood, a look of excitement on her face. She took a quick step towards them, reaching out.

Liam was in front of Theo in a flash, claws out, growling. The woman stepped back.

‘Who are you? What do you want?!’ Liam snarled, keeping Theo behind him. He didn’t know who this person was—none of them did. The last time strangers showed up Theo was almost killed, just for being a chimera. There was no way Liam was going to let anything happen to him.

Theo’s hand settled on his shoulder, making him relax a bit. Liam dropped his hands, claws still at the ready, eyes still trained on the woman in front fo them.

‘Alice.’ Theo said without thinking. ‘Her name is Alice.’


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late. Also it gets kind of insane. But it's just the start of the insane. So hold on maybe? or look away!

Nolan lingered at the back of the group, wary of getting too close to any of the supernaturals. It felt like everyone was on edge, waiting for a taut wire to snap and claws and fangs would be everywhere before he could find cover. The only one that seemed to pick up on his nerves was Brett. The born werewolf hung back, walking almost beside him, giving him the occasional glance. The girl they met in the tunnels, Alice, was at the front. She’d insisted that it wasn’t safe to talk underground, but she lived in part of the old bunker nearby. So far Theo was following with blind determination—focused on her every move. Liam walked beside him, face drawn into a disapproving frown. Mason and Corey kept to the middle staying as quiet as possible.

The descent to the bunker was along a beaten footpath snaking from clumps of shrubs to sparse trees. Talk was sparse, but Nolan could see them all thinking. Making moves in their heads in case things went wrong. He still didn’t fully understand what they were doing exactly, but he did understand that for Theo this meant something big. A part of his past that had been stolen from him and scrubbed from his memory. If Alice had the keys to Theo’s past as a chimera in the making, then maybe she could help answer his questions and they could all go home. Except Nolan got the impression that nothing was ever that easy when werewolves were involved.

He wondered how chimeras fit into things exactly? Argent had told him little, focusing their secret training sessions on werewolves more than anything. Something he’d kept secret from everyone, partly out of the shame of what he’d almost done to them all. Partly because he needed to commit to finding a way to protect them. Keep them safe. If chimeras were a part of that, so be it.

‘You live out here?’ Liam asked, trying to get anything from the stranger so he could decide if she could be trusted.

‘When the Dread Doctors… moved on, they left most of us behind.’ Alice said. A glance towards Theo held something, but it was gone before Liam could tell what it was.

‘So you just stayed here.’ Liam said.

‘We weren’t normal. You know what that’s like.’ Alice walked down the embankment carefully.

‘Some of us left. Some of us died.’

‘You stayed. Why?’ Brett asked.

‘This is home.’ She said. ‘I know the tunnels. And there are things here…’

‘Like research notes.’ Nolan said.

‘Like the notes, yes.’ Alice said, looking into the trees around them. It unsettled Liam the way she looked off suddenly. Like she felt they were being watched. It was a sensation Liam had several times since they headed to the old radio tower. And it wasn’t a feeling that put him at ease.

Theo nudged him, brining him back to reality. Theo was good at that. He tried to give the chimera a smile. Instead it was a brief flash of lukewarm reassurance that faded as fast as it was born. Theo gave a weak smile back, focusing on his footing as they made their way to wherever Alice was leading them.

Theo kept several paces away from Alice—he remembered her from his dream. The one missing eye. Crying. Cale and the others huddled around her. If she was alive it meant that Cale might be alive as well, that maybe he could find answers. All they’d gained so far were more questions. 

As the bunker came into sight a high-pitched wail cut through the air, causing all everyone to stop mid-stride. Theo felt a cold shiver run the length of his spine.

‘What was that?’ Liam asked.

‘Coyote probably.’ Alice said, eyes darting to the bunker as they closed in.

Liam glanced at Theo—they were familiar with the sound of coyotes howling, and that didn’t sound anything like one. Liam reached out to the chimera only to find Theo’s hand bumping into his, seeking out the same reassurance before he knew it. Liam grabbed hold of Theo’s hand before embarrassment could set in. They walked the rest of the way together, hands joined.

‘Here we are.’ Alice said, pushing open the metal door with ease. They lingered at the entrance before she nodded and stepped inside. The cement room had several divisions of iron bars. Maybe to hold munitions or other sensitive materials. 

Liam looked at Theo—he didn’t trust Alice, but so far she’d given them no reason to doubt her. Theo gave him a smirk. They’d faced down so many things together, even if it was a trap he was sure that they’d come out on top.

Theo let go of Liam’s hand and stepped inside the bunker. He walked a few feet in and turned to tell Liam everything was fine when the door swung shut—huge industrial locks clicking into place.

‘Theo!’ Liam banged on the metal, growling. The beta’s eyes darted behind Theo, panic on his face. Theo turned in time to see Alice drive a syringe into his chest and depress the plunger.

‘How dare you come back here.’ Her face was twisted into a snarl. Theo opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn’t come. His tongue was numb. His vision was blurry. Wolfsbane. Kanima venom. Maybe something else.

Alice reached down and grabbed Theo by the neck, hauling him to his feet. Theo fought to regain control of his body, but he was guessing there was enough kanima venom in the syringe to kill a normal person two times over. His body was working rapidly to stay alive.

‘Brett!’ Liam yelled. The born wolf was beside him in a flash, eyes flaring gold as they both pushed on the thick steel door. Corey joined in beside Brett, using as much strength as he could muster.

‘Looks like your “friends” are worried about you.’ Alice said. ‘Do they know what you did, Theo? I bet they don’t.’

She tossed him across the room like a rag doll. Theo grunted as he slammed into the cement wall and slid to the floor. He could taste blood in his mouth from the impact.

‘Don’t fucking touch him!’ Liam snarled. The door had barely moved—locks firmly in place.

Alice narrowed her eye, nostrils flaring as she looked at Liam then back to Theo. She crouched over the chimera, letting a talon emerge from the tip of her finger. It was dark, curving. Sharp.

‘That boy,’ She whispered, ‘You stink of him, Theo.’

Alice grabbed Theo and hoisted him up against the wall, using the single claw to raise his chin.

‘Who is he?’

Theo glanced at Liam. He still couldn’t talk. He’d led them all into this. Led Liam into this, and now he was going to die. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe this was meant to happen. He tried to tell Liam he was sorry, that he did his best. Liam shook his head, a pleading look on his face.

‘Who is he?!’ Alice screamed into his face. Her claws dug into Theo’s skin, making him wince. A sudden bust of feeling as his body made new cells, free of the kanima venom. Theo grunted, looking down at the girl with one eye in front of him.

‘My. Mate!’

Alice looked at Theo blankly, then released him. Theo slid to the floor, flexing his fingers and toes to get his blood flowing again. The more damage she caused the faster the venom left his system.

Alice took a step back, listening to Theo’s heartbeat. Blood dripping from her hand. She rocked back on her heels, a slow smile spreading across her face as a mirthful laugh tore from her lips. Liam and Brett renewed their efforts to break the door open. The laugh cut Liam to his core—it reminded him Gerard. Monroe. Vicious. Full of hate.

Theo managed to prop himself up as Alice’s laughter died into quiet, strangled sounds. She bent low, hair covering her face as she went still.

‘You’re weak.’ Her voice was even, matching the one in his head.

Worthless. Failure!

‘You don’t deserve him. You don’t deserve anything!’ Alice looked up at him, tears running down her cheek. The eyepatch on her face was soaked red from blood wept in place of tears.

Theo remembered her clearly then—an image from the past. Alice, scared and crying. Cale, comforting her. A new eye, looking at the person who owned it before him.

Theo touched his left eye. Alice caught the movement and stiffened.

‘Did you come for the other one this time?’

‘I didn’t know.’ Theo said. He knew she was watching, listening for any dishonesty. But there was none to find.

‘Bullshit.’ Alice licked her lips. There was uncertainty there. Hesitation.

‘I didn’t… I don’t remember.’ Theo said, catching himself, ‘That’s not true. I do remember parts. Small pieces. I remember you, and Cale, and someone in the dark. On an operating table.’

Alice gave a painful cry. She banged her head into the heel of her hands.

‘I don’t know what happened. I… I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.’ Theo fought to form every word. The venom was potent.

‘Shut up.’ She whispered. ‘Liar. Liar!’

All of her talons were out before Theo could blink, heading toward him with impossible speed.

‘Theo!!’ Liam’s roar tore through the air. The shift was sudden, making Brett grab Corey and back away. Liam’s arms pushed against the door. The steel buckled and groaned in protest.

Theo looked up at Liam as the talons sank into his stomach, tearing effortlessly through muscles and organs. He yelled in pain as Alice twisted her hand in an attempt to make him suffer more.

Something inside of Liam broke. The rush of rage was nothing new—though he felt it keener and sharper than ever before. For a split second, there was something else. Something raw—like the flicker of a fire coming to life. Whatever it was, Liam reached deep inside to the core of himself and grabbed ahold of it. He roared, making everyone cover their ears as he forced the steel past its breaking point. The metal snapped. The door gave way, crashing into the bunker. Liam launched himself forward, tackling Alice. She twisted in his grip, giving a screech of her own as she aimed talons at Liam’s face.

Liam’s fangs found her wrist, crunching down on bone. Alice gave a wounded cry as Liam slashed at her with his claws. Driven into the corner, Alice huddled to protect herself.

‘Liam!’ Bret yelled, trying to pull the beta back. Liam couldn’t hear him—everything he was was focused on destroying the person who hurt his mate. Brett’s words were ignored. His hands were shrugged off.

‘Liam, you’re going to kill her!’ Mason yelled. The beta slowed. Mason’s voice. He trusted Mason. Then another voice, pushing through the haze of anger like a familiar song.

‘Liam. Liam, leave her.’ Theo. The pain laced through his voice pulled Liam back to reality. He looked down at Alice—she was breathing. Scared. Wounds already healing.

‘We’ll make sure she doesn’t go anywhere.’ Brett put a hand on Liam’s shoulder then looked at Theo on the ground.

Liam fell to his knees, grabbing Theo’s hand. There was blood everywhere. The wounds were deep, healing slowly.

‘I’m fine.’ Theo said with a weak smile.

‘You used to be good at lying.’ Liam said, voice wavering. He exhaled and cleared his mind, letting the spark of power inside meet the pain welling up in the one he loved. As soon as it made contact it drew the pain from Theo like poison from a wound. Liam hissed at the sharp texture of it. The raw damage that was inflicted. He could feel Theo’s tissues knitting together. Mending.

‘You don’t have to…’ Theo said, visibly relaxing.

‘Shut up.’ Liam said. He pushed the hair out of Theo’s face and smoothed it back. ‘Idiot.’

Brett and Corey pushed Alice into one of the sections with bars. Brett picked up a piece of metal from the broken door and forced it around the bars of the door—making sure Alice was locked in. He was vaguely aware of Nolan’s hand taking his as the human took everything in with wide eyes. Nolan had seen things. Supernatural things. But this was something new, and the sheer intensity of it was frightening.

‘Is he okay?’ Mason asked. Liam glanced up at his friend. He wanted to say something sarcastic—Mason had proven he wasn’t a big fan of Theo time and time again. The chimera squeezed his hand, eyes fluttering in and out of consciousness.

‘I think he’ll be okay. One more would have…’ Liam trailed off. He pushed the anger away. He needed to be calm. He needed to focus on taking Theo’s pain so he could heal faster.

From inside the bars Alice watched with careful eyes. Tracking their motions, listening to their words and breathing and heartbeats. A small frown formed on her face.

‘You know what he is.’ She said.

‘He’s our friend.’ Corey said. Alice snorted.

‘Your word doesn’t count for anything. You’re just like us.’ She said.

‘He is not like you.’ Mason said, stepping towards the cage. Alice backed up suddenly, panic welling up in her eyes as she looked at Mason.

Corey put his hand on his boyfriend’s arm and pulled him away. Alice watched the pair closely.

‘You think you have it all figured out. You think you know who Theo Raeken is. You don’t.’ She said.

‘I know who he is.’ Liam whispered. ‘He’s the man that manipulated our pack. Manipulated me. The man that worked for the Dread Doctors to hurt people. The one who killed my alpha, even if it was only for a minute. The one who killed his own pack to steal their power. The one who lied to us all, over and over. Every chance he got.’

Alice gave a smug grin. Liam stood suddenly, golden eyes focused on the one-eyed chimera.

‘He’s the one I pulled up from hell. The one that saved us from the Wild Hunt. Saved me from the Wild Hunt. The one who protected me. Protected us all. Again and again.’

Alice scoffed, ‘He’s a monster.’

Liam glanced at Theo, still healing, but looking up at his mate.

‘He’s the one that looked at an enemy that wanted him dead, just because he was different, and when that person was dying—took their pain into himself. Theo’s not a monster.’

Liam leaned down and took Theo’s hand in his. ‘Monsters don’t care.’

‘You’re lying.’ Alice said with confidence. ‘Chimeras can’t take pain. We’re not made that way.’

‘It’s true.’ Nolan spoke up, voice wavering. All eyes were on him suddenly.

‘I was there. The… Gabe was my friend. Once. We did bad things. A lot of bad things. And Gabe, he died because of it. He died trying to kill Theo and Liam. He hurt them. Even after that, Theo, he took away Gabe’s pain so he could die easy. Even if… Even if he didn’t deserve it.’ Nolan’s voice was raw. He felt Brett’s fingers graze his own, grabbing the born werewolf’s hand tight.

‘More lies.’

‘We were there, too.’ Corey said from beside Mason a few feet away.

Alice looked at Theo, ‘How did you get them to lie for you?’

Theo shook his head. He held up empty hands.

‘They’re crazy. They do what they want.’

‘You can’t take pain. You’re not supposed to be able to.’ Alice said, slumping backwards in her cell.

‘You’ve tried.’ Theo said, wincing as Liam helped him up.

Alice shot him a glare. Hesitation returned and she looked away.

‘Yes. I tried.’

‘Who?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘You remember all of it, don’t you?’ Theo said, sitting down near the bars. He could feel Liam on full alert, doing his best to remain calm.

‘Of course.’ She said. ‘You really don’t remember.’

‘No. I was in a tank most of the time after here. There were times they let me out for…conditioning. Training. Operations.’

Alice laughed, ‘Of course. One extra twist of cruelty. Exactly like them.’

Theo tried to smile, grabbing his stomach as the last muscles knit together.

‘How did you escape?’ She asked, eyes darting to Mason. The movement wasn’t lost on Theo, but he set it aside for the moment.

‘We killed them.’ Theo said, earning a nudge from Liam. ‘Liam’s pack killed them. Sort of. But they’re gone now. All of them.’

‘You saw them? Their bodies?’ She asked. Theo nodded.

‘I never thought… after all this time, we were always worried they would come back. Or werewolves would hunt us down. Now… this is real? You’re not lying?’ 

‘It’s the truth.’ Liam said, jaw set.

Alice nodded, pulling her knees to herself and wrapping her arms around them.

‘Alice… Do you remember Cale?’ Theo asked. She gave no indication she heard at first, then slowly looked up at him with a frown.

‘Of course I remember. How could I forget? He was the oldest. The one that kept us all together, even when they started to take parts. Pieces. Cale protected us all. So did you. Once.’ The last part was quiet.

‘What happened here?’ Liam asked. ‘We found things. Notes. Files. Theo’s parents were here.’

‘They were all here.’ Alice said.

‘What do you mean?’ Brett asked.

‘All of our parents were here.’

‘How?’

‘They brought them here. Took them like they took us. Some were human. Others were special.’ Alice said.

‘Why? Why would the Dread Doctors need them?’ Liam asked. Theo felt a sick feeling in his stomach as the memory surfaced in his mind again.

He was hunting, and he was winning. Blood made a path for him to follow, and Theo could feel the encouragement of the Dread Doctors behind him.

The tunnels twisted and bled together into a maze that folded in on itself. The insistent clicking of the Dread Doctors echoed everywhere, instructing, coaching, directing. Theo felt his claws slide out, one hand only. He knew, he felt, the other hand had no claws yet. That’s what he was hunting for. Searching for. The voices seeping into his mind, telling him to take what what his and become stronger. To take his rightful place and power. Kill the ones that held him back.

Sobbing in the dark. His mother. His father’s blood everywhere. The numbness. The sharp pain in his sides. Eyes, pleading. Seeking. Searching for something in his face that had been scrubbed away. Pain.

Theo felt for Liam’s hand, grabbing it tight.

‘Theo? What’s wrong? What happened?’ Liam asked, holding the chimera as his body went slack suddenly.

‘He remembered.’ Alice said.

‘Remembered what?’ Liam asked, glancing between her and Theo. The chimera looked pale.

‘Remembered what?!’ Liam yelled.

‘Part of our training. Like he said. They tortured us for days, then let us loose in the tunnels with our parents.’ Alice said.

‘No.’ Liam said.

‘Kill or be killed.’ Alice said, as if was a mantra, ‘Live or die. They are the only choices in this world. Theo chose life.’

‘No, no. He wouldn’t! He was just a kid!’ Liam said.

‘Not to them. None of us were.’ Alice said from behind the bars.

Theo was on his feet suddenly, stumbling out the door.

###

The emotions assaulted him from every direction, pulling and tearing him from the inside out. Guilt. Shame. Pride. Accomplishment. Horror. A tug of war between the person he was and the person the machine men had turned him into. Two Theos living inside one body, both fighting for dominance. Except Theo wasn’t sure he wanted the boy he used to be to win. That meant dealing with all the pain and confusion again. The things he’d done—far worse than anything in recent memory. Far worse than anything he could himself imagine. His hands. Weapons. Murderer. He was a murderer. He trembled, trying to think of how to shut it all off. Turn all the dials down so he felt nothing at all. Numb. Numb was safe.

‘Theo…’ Liam was beside him suddenly. The sun was starting to set—a burning orange circle punched out against a blue-purple sky. Fading light touched everything. Orange would soon turn to pink. Then darkness. Night.

The beta sat beside Theo in the dirt. He leaned against the chimera. There were no words that came to mind that would work here. Nothing in his past he could draw on to ease the pain he knew Theo was feeling. Instead he took Theo’s hand in his own, and when the chimera fought to jerk it away, Liam didn’t resist.

‘I can’t.’ Theo said.

Liam looked away, dragging his own hand onto his lap.

‘I just…’ Theo fought the tears back. ‘You shouldn’t be around—‘

‘Shut up.’ Liam whispered. He watched the grass sway in the wind.

‘Liam, I—‘

Liam shook his head. They sat beside each other in silence. Theo glanced at the beta—even now he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Liam was. And how keenly aware he was that he didn’t deserve any of the beta’s affection. It wasn’t just that Liam was beautiful either, it was he was a good person with a kind heart. There was anger. There were issues. But beneath it all, wrapped around it all, was something pure and good. It made Theo want to be close. To protect the young werewolf. But the more Theo learned about himself the more he was afraid he would ruin Liam. And it wasn’t something he was able to put into words. It lived in his throat like an aching lump that he could never get rid of. Like a bone out of alignment. Half of him wanted to yell at the beta. To tear into him and chase him off so he could fall into the spiral that would eventually be his end. The other half wanted to bury his face in Liam’s messy tangle of a mane and stay there. Feeling safe. Feeling like he was worth something. At least to one person.

Theo reached out slowly, letting his fingers graze the tip of Liam’s as they played with the grass between them. The beta didn’t look up from his idle task, put edge his hand closer. When Theo joined their fingers together Liam turned to him suddenly, wrapping his arms around the chimera. Theo wasn’t ready for the brunt of Liam’s weight and they fell backwards into the grass and wildflowers. Theo could feel Liam’s hot tears on his own cheeks and neck as the beta cried.

Theo slowly wrapped his arms around the boy on top of him. His heart swelled with emotion. Liam was crying hard. He knew the beta had no words. Liam wasn’t crying just because he felt bad, he was crying because he knew Theo was in pain. Liam cared so much he was crying for himself as his mate.

‘You dummy.’ Theo said between sniffles. ‘You made me cry.’

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ Liam’s face was still buried in the crook of Theo’s neck. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘You didn’t do it.’ Theo said.

‘That’s not… I mean I’m sorry. I’m sorry they made you do such bad things. I’m sorry I hated you. I’m sorry we sent you to hell. I’m sorry you have nightmares! I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you!’ Liam said. Theo ran his hand through the beta’s hair, soothing him.

Theo chuckled.

‘What?’ Liam sighed as the chimera played with his hair.

‘We’re messes. Both of us.’

‘Hot messes at least.’

Theo gave him a small smile—easy and free. Liam tilted his head slightly, then leaned down to kiss Theo.

‘That was gross.’ Theo said, wiping his mouth. Liam chuckled and wiped the tears and spit away before leaning in to try again. Theo relaxed into the feeling of Liam’s lips. He never imagined he would be happy like this, if this was what happiness was. Even if it wasn’t, Theo wanted more. He knew it was selfish. He could hear the part of him that was worried about ruining Liam, and he ignored it.

Liam pulled back with a sign.

‘You’re crushing me.’ Theo said.

‘Sorry.’ Liam made no move to get off. Theo shook his head and smiled lightly. What was it about Liam that always made him feel better.

‘What now?’ Liam asked.

‘We keep looking. Ask questions.’

‘What if we find more answers that aren’t… that are hard?’

‘Better than not knowing.’

‘Is it?’ Liam asked. The question was genuine. Watching Theo tearing himself part, pushing him away, because of what the Dread Doctors had forced him to do, it hurt worse than when he let Gabe beat him down in front of the whole school. Because it wasn’t an enemy he could face. There was no way he could land between it and Theo, because it was Theo, in a way. Part of him, at least.

‘I don’t know.’ Theo muttered. ‘I do know that I have something that doesn’t belong to me. A lot of things maybe.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘What do you do when you have something that doesn’t belong to you, Liam? You give it back.’

‘Theo…’

‘It’s the only way to make this right. Or at least start to.’

‘So you’re just going to hunt chimeras down, rip off parts of yourself and give them back? Until what? There’s nothing left?’ 

‘You wouldn’t understand.’ Theo frowned.

‘You’re right—it’s an insane plan! I don’t understand! And I don’t want to, because all I heard was the person I love tell me they’re going to methodically dismember themselves until there’s nothing left but a bloody pulp. So he can feel better!’ Liam shot to his feet.

‘It’s not about me feeling better! It’s about doing the right thing! Isn’t Scott always saying that? Do the right thing! Protect people!’ Theo was on his feet a second after Liam.

‘Scott’s not here, okay? Scott’s not here. Just me. And… I know I might not be enough to help you. But you can’t do this, Theo. Not this way. I’ll… I couldn’t bear…’ Liam lunged forward, grabbing Theo’s shirt and pulling him close. For a second the chimera thought Liam was going to hit him, like old times. Instead Liam pulled him into a kiss—awkward and off-centre. Teeth banging. A gasp of air stolen from Theo’s mouth.

‘I’m not as strong as you.’

Theo bristled at the words that ran against all of the whispers inside him. He sighed, picking dead grass from Liam’s wild hair and smoothing the tangles with his fingers.

‘You’re stronger than me. Stronger than Scott.’

Liam scoffed.

‘Liam, you just broke through a steel door that’s at least ten inches thick.’ Theo chuckled.

‘She was hurting you.’

‘That’s all you remember?’

‘I was angry. Super angry.’

‘Nothing else?’

‘What else was there? Why are you asking?’ Liam was puzzled. Sure, it was impressive. But he’d done other feats when he was blind with rage. It made him useful in a bad situation. Except Theo seemed to be getting at something else, but it was beyond Liam’s reach, whatever it was.

‘I couldn’t move much, but I could see you through the bars on the door.’ Theo said.

‘I remember…’

‘Liam, your eyes were red. Just for a few seconds, but they were as red as Scott’s.’

‘That’s not funny, Theo.’ Liam nudged him.

‘I’m serious.’ Theo said, heading back to the bunker, ‘If you don’t believe me, ask Brett.’

Liam frowned and lingered on the spot. True alphas were rare. Once every hundred years if he remembered correctly. What Theo was saying was impossible. He was probably hallucinating from whatever Alice had injected him with. Brett would back him up. The born wolf was always ready to provide brutally honest criticism. He’d roll his eyes, go off on Liam, and things would be back to normal. Except he could make fun of Theo for thinking he might turn into an alpha. It was silly.

Him, an alpha.

‘C’mon.’ Theo’s voice was soft, hand outstretched. Liam hesitated before he took it. They walked back to the bunker, ready to rejoin the others and find some answers.

###

‘They what?’ Liam asked. The others had been questioning Alice while they were gone. Nolan kept rambling on about how she had been fused with some sort of owl and a harpy eagle. Which explained the talons. But it didn’t explain what she was talking about now.

‘They marked us. All of us.’ Alice said as she pulled up the hem of her shirt to reveal a strange symbol.

‘It’s alchemical.’ Mason said. ‘Probably at the height of pseudo science when the Dread Doctors started their experiments.’

‘What does it mean?’

‘It means I’m material. Good for parts. Nothing more.’ Alice said.

‘Theo doesn’t have a mark like that.’ Liam blurted out. All eyes turned to him. Brett raised an eyebrow as a slow smirk spread across his face.

‘It’s not like that.’ Liam blushed.

‘When you deny things it just makes people want to know more.’ Brett said.

‘Shut up.’ Liam glared at his rival. Brett folded his arms, smirking.

‘All chimeras have a mark. Even if you can’t see it, it’s there.’ Alice said, pointing to Theo, then Corey, and finally to Mason.

‘What?’ Corey said, ‘Mason’s not—‘

‘It’s okay.’ Mason said. ‘I know. Soft of.’

Corey grabbed his hand. They all swore not to tell Mason, but if he remembered his time as the Beast on his own there was no way they could protect him from what he’d done.

‘It wasn’t you.’ Corey said.

‘It was.’ Mason said. ‘I remember more clearly every day.’

Mason looked over at Theo. There was something there, an acknowledgement. A sympathy. Mason peeled off his shirt and stood in front of Corey.

‘Please?’

Corey’s hands dropped to his sides. He looked up at Mason, then disappeared. A few seconds later he reappeared and walked to his boyfriend, tracing a circular symbol on Mason’s chest.

Theo took his shirt off and stood next to Mason. Corey looked at Liam. The beta nodded and Corey disappeared once more. When he became visible he nodded.

‘It’s almost the same as Mason’s.’ Corey whispered. Mason pulled his shirt on and wrapped his arms around Corey, trying to reassure him it was fine, even if he didn’t sound convinced himself.

‘Did it look like this?’ Alice made a symbol in the dirt on the floor. Corey nodded.

‘Gold. Pure gold. The perfect material.’ She said as she looked at Mason, ‘The perfect killer.’

‘And Theo’s?’

Alice drew another symbol, similar to Mason’s but lacking some details.

‘Gold. Incomplete. Flawed.’

‘Failure.’ Theo hissed. Alice looked up at him suddenly—the force of her stare startled him, as if she could hear the voices in his head just as clear.

‘Do you hear them too?’ Theo asked.

‘What do you mean?’ Liam asked.

‘Yes.’ Alice seemed small. Frightened.

‘I know they’re gone. And now I know they’re dead. But they’re still here, because they’re inside of me. What they did doesn’t just go away. We’re broken. Nothing can fix us. Maybe the werewolves are right—we deserve to die.’

Liam frowned. A few minutes ago Alice had been tearing Theo to shreds, but now Liam’s heart ached when he saw the suffering living inside of her. Especially since it echoed Theo’s so keenly. But there was nothing he could do.

‘We’re not broken.’ Theo’s voice sounded unsure. Shaking.

‘We’re made broken, Theo. You might not remember, but I do.’ Alice said.

‘That one,’ She pointed to Mason, ‘Was made for resurrection. But the rest, like you, have reasons. Purpose. You’ve taken power before?’

Theo nodded.

‘How did it feel?’

‘Good.’ Theo dropped his head in shame, ‘Easy. Addictive.’

‘Werewolves can steal an alpha’s power. But there are limits and balance. We don’t follow the rules of the supernatural. It’s not a coincidence. It’s a byproduct. The way we are inside, the spark of power in us, it has no limits. It can grow from a spark to a bonfire, to a raging inferno. That is our purpose, Theo. To take power. To grow strong. Unstoppable.’

‘If you’re made to take power, why can’t you take pain?’ Nolan asked.

‘There’s no room. No room for anything else. Anyone else.’ Alice said as she looked at Liam.

‘But Theo took Gabe’s pain.’ Brett pointed out.

‘It… shouldn’t be possible.’ Alice said.

‘Just because you couldn’t do it, doesn’t mean other chimeras can’t.’ Nolan said. Alice glared at him.

‘Cale was the only one of us that could do that.’

‘Where is he? Did he escape with you?’

‘He’s dead.’ Alice said after a long pause.

Theo frowned. He couldn’t tell why, but it felt like Alice was lying even though there were no tells to give her away.

‘Who’s pain did you try to take then?’ Mason asked.

‘No one.’

‘See, now I definitely want to know.’ Brett said, looking at Liam.

‘Earlier you said “we thought they would come back one day”. There’s someone else here.’ Mason pointed out.

Alice looked at Theo. ‘You can really take pain away?’

‘I can.’

‘Then maybe you can help him. I’ve tried to many times…’

‘Who is he?’

‘Another like us. But… sometimes things go wrong.’ Alice said. Theo’s mind raced—thinking back to Derek’s loft. To the pictures the evolved wolf had of a chimera who had changed into something nearly unrecognizable.

‘Where is he?’ Theo asked.

‘I’ll take you to him.’

‘No way.’ Liam folded his arms. ‘You’ll just try to gut Theo again. Or run away. Or both.’

‘I swear I won’t. I swear. If he can help Toby…’ Alice grabbed the bars.

‘Liam, it’s okay. She caught us off guard before. We’ll be ready this time.’ Brett’s voice was deep. There was an edge to it Liam had never heard before, but it was enough to convince him the other werewolf was up to the task of watching the new chimera.

Liam nodded and Brett un-bent the metal holding the cell closed. Alice stepped outside cautiously.

‘Lead the way.’ Theo said. She nodded. As soon as they were outside she headed down the hill, towards the tree line.

The forest was dark—the light of the moon couldn’t get through the thick canopy above. While most of them could see well in the dark, Nolan took Brett’s arm and allowed the werewolf to guide him. Mason held Corey’s hand as they made their way along a winding path, through the trees towards wherever Alice was leading them.

The air was tense. Even if it wasn’t a trap, whatever they were going to deal with didn’t sound entirely pleasant. Especially given the nature of the things they were learning over the course of their search for the truth.

As they walked deeper a ghostly wail tore through the night air—similar to the one they heard earlier. The one Alice brushed off as a coyote howling.

‘What’s that?’ Nolan asked.

‘Toby.’ Alice said. Her face was a mask of grim determination as she came to a stop beside a large tree. Liam glanced at the bark—torn to shreds by enormous claws. He caught Theo’s eye, and a worried look crossed the chimera’s features before a mask slipped into place. Liam narrowed his eyes. Theo knew something.

They came to a stop a few steps later. Alice held up her hand, motioning for them to be quiet. Theo could see something large at the far end of the clearing, the bulk of it hidden by underbrush. A long, thick chain snaked across the grass from a huge stump towards the creature. The wind carried its scent—vaguely human. Bear maybe. Wolf. Several other scents Theo couldn’t make out. Before he had a chance to, the wind shifted and carried their scent directly toward the creature.

Liam felt the hair on his neck stand up and memories of first meeting a berserker flooded his head. Whatever this was, it was bigger. A lot bigger.

Alice made soft noises, coaxing the creature over. Its low growl was mixed with the clinking of metal as the chain around its neck moved. It lumbered towards them, golden eyes fixed on their every move. When it got within twenty feet it reared up on its hind legs, towering over them. It’s claws were seven inches long, maybe more—curved and black. The hind legs were similar to a wolf, the front that of a bear. The face was a twisted combination of both. Spines of bone protruded from its joints, and its tail was scaled and barbed. It’s breath was hot and fetid, like it had been eating dead flesh. Every movement it made seemed to cause it pain.

‘Toby, you remember Theo?’ Alice said, looking at the chimera with hope. ‘He’s come to help.’


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo and the gang come face-to-face with a chimera suffering from its very existence. Together they help Theo to take its pain, and more. But just as it seems they might get their feet under them, everything topples over once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SO late! 
> 
> But it's still updating. 6K chapters make it hard to knock off quickly these days, but hopefully I'll be updating more frequently now!

‘Holy shit!’ Mason grabbed Corey as bright, blue eyes looked towards them.

‘You’ll scare him.’ Alice scolded.

‘We’ll scare him?’ Brett asked, moving in front of Nolan. The boy hadn’t taken a since step in any direction and the scent of overwhelming fear lingered in the air.

Liam’s mind raced—this was a trap Alice had lured them into. Some giant creature to attack them. Glancing at her told him a different story. She looked nervous. Smelled agitated. And seemed almost hopeful. Still, what was she thinking Theo was going to do exactly? The beast… Toby, it was huge. And clearly angry.

‘Stay back.’ Liam said, stepping in front of the group. The movement drew Toby’s attention. Its nose wrinkled as it took in the scent of the group in front of it—focusing on Liam who was now the closest. The growl was a warning. Every instinct Liam had went off at once and he dove to the moss on the ground as enormous claws swiped through the air where he had been standing.

‘Oh shit!’ Liam heard Mason yell. Liam felt cool air to his side and rolled in the opposite direction before the claws came crashing down into the ground. Suddenly he was pulled backwards—Theo’s hands yanking him to safety as a snarling maw filled with fangs snapped at him.

The chain snapped tight and Toby slammed into the ground with a yelp of pain. Liam’s heart was pounding. He looked down at Theo’s hands still gripping his shirt. The chimera’s heartbeat was steady and even. Theo looked at the creature in front of them with an expression Liam couldn’t place.

‘Stop it! Can’t you see he’s in pain?!’ Alice moved in front of the beast, blocking any further attempt to agitate him.

‘He almost ate Liam!’

‘But he didn’t. He didn’t. That counts for something.’ Alice said, worry colouring her tone.

‘It’s okay. It was my fault.’ Liam said, resting his hand on Theo’s. The chimera startled, like he’d been somewhere else entirely. He softened at Liam’s touch but the look never left his face as he studied the hulking form behind Alice.

‘How long as he been like this?’

‘You don’t remember him at all?’ She asked.

Theo frowned. 

_Blue eyes. Blue eyes shining in the darkness. Teeth. Wails of pain as the machine men ripped and tore and sewed. One of the other children. Gentle eyes. Kind words._

‘I think.’ Theo said.

‘He would never hurt anyone! He’s the kindest person I know.’ Alice said.

‘It’s huge.’ Nolan muttered, eyes still fixed on Toby who was nursing a paw.

Brett could hear the crunch of healing bone, but the scent of distress the creature was giving off worried him. The more it healed, the worse the pain seemed to get. The quiet keening of the animal tore at him to do something. Anything. But he was helpless again. Unprepared. Forced to watch as the pain consumed the chimera in front of him.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ Brett asked.

‘He’s… they did things to him. The same things they did to us all. Except Toby… he wasn’t strong. He couldn’t take it.’ Alice said.

‘Failure.’ Theo whispered.

‘Not to me.’ Alice said, looking at the beast as it struggled to its feet. ‘He’s my best friend. My only friend.’

‘He looks hurt. Why is he hurt? I thought chimeras healed.’ Nolan said.

‘He’s twisted up inside.’ Alice said. ‘After they left us to die, Toby helped as much as he could, but the pain never went away. He started to change slowly until he was this. I think when he heals, it hurts him more than usual.’

‘You said it was impossible for Theo to take pain. That you tried before.’ Liam said.

‘If I could trade places, I would.’ Alice said without hesitation.

‘But you can’t.’ Mason said. ‘Because however they made you, they didn’t make you to help. They made you to be… something else.’

‘The other alphas said chimeras were weapons. Made to kill.’

‘I just want to be left alone.’ Alice said. ‘We don’t want to hurt anyone.’

Toby shambled a few feet away and made a noise. He kept blue eyes on the group in front of him. The way he sat reminded Liam of a dog with aching hips. Or a wounded paw. He could see the anger just beneath the surface. It was easier to spot now that it had been aimed at him directly. Anyone that took a step towards the beast was going to get hurt badly. Or worse.

‘You can help him.’ Alice said to Theo. ‘Unless you’re all lying.’

‘You want Theo to take his pain?’ Brett frowned. Theo had nearly come undone when he took the pain of one human, let alone a giant beast. He doubted Scott or Satomi could even take enough pain to put the creature at ease.

‘Please.’ Alice looked at Toby. The beast’s eyes flicked from face to face—reading the situation. There was intelligence there, along with anguish.

Theo took a step forward. Liam’s hand shot out, grabbing his arm with a fierce grip.

‘He’ll tear you to shreds.’

‘I have to try.’ Theo said, trying to pull away but Liam’s grip was too strong.

‘Liam, let me go.’

‘No.’

Theo clenched his jaw. The beta was in his face instantly—tension thick with undertones of anger.

‘You’ll get hurt.’ Liam explained.

‘He’s in pain. I have to do something.’

‘Let me do it.’ Liam said.

‘It has to be me.’ Theo said. Liam was surprised to hear the weight of responsibility in his mate’s voice. He let go of Theo’s arm and stepped back. Before he could get too far Theo’s hand cradled the back of his head and drew him back, to his chest.

‘I’ll be ok.’ Theo whispered.

‘You better be.’ Liam inhaled Theo’s scent before looking up at the chimera. Theo had changed so much since they’d first met. And yet, there was something about him that was the same. Constant. A drive of some kind. An undeniable force. Kind of similar to Scott. Singular in their goals. Except Theo’s had shifted from manipulation and torture to actually helping the people around him.

Liam stepped back and let Theo walk past.

‘You’re not seriously letting him do this.’ Brett said.

‘The second something happens…’ Liam said, eyes locked on Theo’s back as he approached the creature.

‘I’m ready.’ Brett said, flexing his claws.

As Theo walked towards Toby he caught the many scents of the animals the boy had been spliced with. Bear. Wolf. Coyote. Berserker. Reptile of some kind. Maybe an owl, too. They mixed with the scent of rotting flesh and pain. Anger. The forest floor was worn flat from pacing. There were several deeper spots that had been torn into—probably an attempt to vent some of the frustration, Theo guessed.

It turned towards him, lips peeled back in a snarl. Nostril flared as it took it his scent. The change was subtle—shoulders relaxing. Claws retracted slightly. Things Theo wouldn’t have looked for if Alice hadn’t been there to explain the nature of the beast to them. Tobias. Toby. He was just like Theo. Broken and lost. Lashing out. He imagined that in the end, before he fully became a mindless beast, not even Alice could get close.

Theo approached slowly. Toby’s ears flattened to his skull, eyes sharp on Theo’s every move. He was wrong then—not a mindless beast. Still aware and alert. It tore at him that the Dread Doctors had turned the innocent boy into this monstrous creature that knew only pain. All in a pursuit of power. If Toby represented a stepping stone in that quest, maybe being a failure wasn’t something to be ashamed of.

‘Tobias.’ Theo held out his hands. He was far from the others now, but he could feel them watching closely. ‘Toby.’

The creature snarled and snapped its teeth together rapidly.

‘Do you remember me?’ Theo took another step, past the gouges in the forest floor. Within striking distance. Toby didn’t move. Maybe he did remember.

‘I know it hurts. I’m going to try and take it all away. I’m going to help you.’ Theo said, kneeling down beside Toby’s back leg. The one he figured would have the most difficulty striking him directly. The creature watched him. The tips of his fangs always visible as a warning. Other than that there were no aggressive movements.

Theo closed his eyes and reached out. He felt the stiff, coarse fur of the creature’s flank around his fingers. Matted with blood and sap from whatever trees he’d been ramming into in frustration.

Theo wasn’t sure how he’d managed to take Gabe’s pain. It was something alphas typically had to teach to their betas. The fact that the rest of Scott’s pack seemed to take pain so easily was already something amazing that spoke to the powers of a true alpha. Theo… he had no guidance. He reached out by instinct and felt the sharpness of Gabe’s death throes flow into him. Because he could have been Gabe. And now with Tobias in front of him, a forgotten shadow of a memory—the same twinge of fear and desperation came.

Except it wasn’t that he could have been Tobias if things had turned out differently. He was Tobias. He was Alice, too. He was all of them at the same time. And he was also himself.

As the thoughts raced through his mind, Theo felt something inside burst and draw the pain from the creature in front of him like a festering wound being lanced. It was overwhelming. Dark. Sickly. He wanted to pull back and recoil, but he fought it. Forcing his hand to stay. To take the pain of his sibling chimera. Then suddenly—chaos.

Theo felt himself being moved. Pulled and tugged. Trying to get his feet underneath him and tumbling. Sharp pain. A ringing in his ears—everything was so much! Too much! He gnashed his teeth at whatever was attacking him. The sound of rattle snakes. Metal striking metal. A thousand other sensations. Cold. Alone. A cage. Injections.

‘Theo!’ Liam roared in his face. Theo quaked, eyes focusing on Liam. There was blood and sweat everywhere. Brett leaned against Nolan, gripping his side where two enormous claw marks laid open his ribs.

‘What happened?’ Theo asked. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine.’ Liam said, helping Theo to his feet. The chimera glanced over at Alice who was helping Corey and Mason out from behind a giant tree. Safe from the carnage.

Theo looked down at his claws. He couldn’t get them to retract.

‘I failed.’ He said, looking up at the clearing where Toby was wailing in deep pain.

‘I made it worse!’

‘Theo, calm down!’ Liam grabbed his shoulder.

‘Can’t you hear that?’ Theo pointed to the creature.

‘What are you going to do? Run back in and do the same thing all over again? Because as much as we thought we were ready, we weren’t.’

‘What… Did I?’ Theo looked at the shredded clothing of his friends. His pack mates. Liam.

‘No. Toby kind of… didn’t take it too well.’ Liam said.

‘He’s broken.’ Alice said, eyes fixed on the hulking beast. She looked at Theo.

‘We’re all broken.’

Theo’s heart jumped. The words were familiar. The idea behind them was always there, even when he was executing his master plan to take Scott’s place as alpha. Weak. Fragile. Broken. Not good enough. Not strong enough. But it was a lie. Another one, deeper than the others. A lie that Liam had disproven time and again. That Theo was weak. That he was broken, even if he felt like he was, deep down. He glanced at the beta. His mate. The reason he was alive and standing with them all now. He still felt worthless. Weak. But that wasn’t how Liam saw him. And in that moment Theo decided to trust what his mate saw, instead of the picture trauma had etched into him.

‘No.’ Theo stood to his full height. He could still fix this.

‘Theo, what are you doing?’ Liam frowned. Theo realized the beta had been gripping his hand tight the whole time. Afraid to let go.

Theo smiled.

‘I need your help.’ He said, then looked at Brett, ‘Yours, too.’

‘You’re going to do it again.’ Liam.

‘I’m going to try something different.’ Theo said. ‘But I need you both to distract him so I can get close.’

‘Don’t hurt him!’ Alice said.

‘We’ll try. But it’s going to be hard.’ Theo said, glancing at the two werewolves. Brett nodded. Liam’s frown deepened.

‘I hate this.’ He said through clenched teeth. ‘I hate it so much.’

‘Liam. Trust me.’ Theo looked at his mate and tried to summon other words that would comfort him. Let Liam know that he knew what to do. Except there were no words like that, because Theo only had a guess. The seed of an idea based on treachery and betrayal that had cost him his makeshift pack. That had costed him everything.

_Pain. Life. Power. In that order._

Deucalion’s words. A deception set in motion by Scott to keep Theo in check. The words were true, to a degree. But what if Deucalion had lied in his own way, as well. From what Mason was saying, and what Alice told them, chimera’s didn’t follow the rules. They were particularly dangerous because they were incomplete. What if part of that was more than just a science project gone wrong. What if they were twisted up inside in a supernatural way as well. Maybe instead of trying to take Toby’s pain, Theo needed to do something else instead.

‘You’re not going to get much time.’ Brett said, discarding the tattered remains of his shirt. He stretched his shoulders. It had been awhile since he’d done anything so strenuous since healing.

‘I just need a minute. Maybe two.’ Theo said.

‘We’ll do our best.’ Liam said. He looked behind to Nolan, Corey, and Mason.

‘Stay back.’

‘I’ll keep them safe.’ Alice said, glancing between Theo and the two wolves.

They walked together to the edge of Toby’s line. The creature’s wails slowly faded as it turned to them—rage apparent in every feature.

‘If it’s too much, back off.’ Liam said.

‘You’ve been doing this what, a couple years?’ Brett asked Liam as his fangs curved outward. ‘I’ve been doing this my whole life. I’m not backing off now.’

He launched himself at Toby, feigning a strike. Toby whipped around, claws swiping the air where Brett was before turning to the sound of Liam’s roar on his other side. Theo’s heart raced to see Liam in direct danger. Every part of him screamed out to save the beta, but he forced himself to focus on his task. Liam was safe. Would be safe. As long as he pulled his plan off. And it worked the way he thought it would.

Toby snapped and snarled, alternating between Liam and Brett. The end of the thick chain was taut and straining. Theo exhaled—it was now or never. He waited until the creature’s back was to him before he darted forward with all the speed he had. By the time Toby was aware of him, Theo was leaping through the air. He landed on the creature’s back and drove his claws into the thick muscles beneath with all his might. He dug in tight as Toby roared and tried to buck him off. Liam and Brett redoubled their efforts to draw his attention, forcing him to focus on them instead of Theo.

It took most of his strength to hold on, but Theo managed to close his eyes and reach out like he had before. He could feel Toby’s pain—a thick, black ooze tainting everything inside of him. He pushed past it, looking for what Deucalion had described. A spark of life and a spark of power. He didn’t know how they fit together, but Theo knew from touching both before that they were entwined. And Deucalion told him the order they must be taken. But Deucalion was a liar. And chimera’s were not the same as other creatures.

Pain. Life. Power. Except it felt like Toby was disjoined inside. The parts bled into each other. Edges torn. Power feeding into pain. Causing misery. A botched experiment of the machine men. Or a purposeful exercise in cruelty with a goal Theo couldn’t imagine. Either way he felt it clearly—when he tried to take Toby’s pain it only intensified things. Instead he needed to siphon off the spark of power. Restore balance inside the chimera. It was something he hesitated to do. What if it killed Toby, like it killed Josh and Tracey? Deucalion has been adamant about the order. It had to be a part of the ruse Scott had set up. Or a personal deception. He had to try.

Touching the spark of power at the core of Toby set Theo’s teeth on edge. It ran pins and needles through his entire being, like it didn’t want to be tampered with. Nothing like he’d experienced before. Maybe a safeguard placed by the Dread Doctors. Maybe an unfortunate side effect. Either way, Theo grabbed it tight and drew it into himself. The sharp throb of pain lessened as the power dimmed. Outside of himself, he could feel Toby going slack beneath him. The sounds of the clearing were distant, and Theo needed to focus on the task at hand.

The spark flickered—threatening to go out. Theo loosened his hold then, and left the embers of it alone. The thick, black pain had drained away as well, revealing the second spark. The spark of life all creatures had. It was weak and small compared to his own, burning bright and hot. So Theo shared what he had. He watched the dim light flare to life, burning the pain away and leaving everything in balance.

When he pulled his claws free, he gasped for air—lungs burning with a lack of oxygen. Strong hands pulled him away from Toby. The creature was laying on the ground. Twitching. Convulsing. Theo had no strength left to stand. He forced his head up to find Alice. She looked at him with desperate eyes. Theo tried to smile. He didn’t manage, but it must have been enough to let her know he was successful.

Alice bolted to the centre of the clearing where the body of Toby went still. She placed her hands on him. Liam could already tell there was no life there. Whatever Theo had done hadn’t worked. Or maybe it had, and the chimera intended to end the creature’s pain however he could. Except that didn’t seem like Theo. At least not the Theo he’d come to know.

Alice glanced up at them, tears spilling down her cheek as fists balled in rage.

‘Look.’ Mason’s gaze was fixed on the ribcage of the giant beast. It seemed to be moving. They made their way over carefully as Alice crept forward. There were sounds coming from inside. A voice.

They jumped back when claws sliced through from the inside, a tear forming in their wake.

‘Help!’ The voice within was still muffled. Desperate.

‘Toby!’ Alice was on her knees, slicing though the flesh with her own claws. Blood and gore everywhere, until she’d made a gap between the cage of ribs. An arm reached out. Alice grabbed it and pulled.

‘Help me!’ She yelled. Brett dove in beside her and pushed the ribs open. They cracked as they gave way and Alice pulled the naked form free. He stumbled and rolled on the moss, blinking rapidly. Looking. Listening. Breathing. Alice approached slowly.

‘Toby?’

‘Ally?’ He turned to her, wet hair sticking to dark skin. He glanced at the strangers surrounding him. His claws were out. Heart hammering. The fear and anxiety came off him in waves. Alice touched his shoulder, making him jump. He relaxed slightly, breathing slowing to a normal pace. He gripped the woman tight, wrapping his arms around her.

‘You were supposed to kill me. If I changed.’ He said.

‘How could I? How could I ever hurt you?’ She hissed and pushed him back before pulling him close again.

As they watched the pair, Liam took Theo’s weight on his shoulder. He bushed the hair from Theo’s face. His Theo. Who just did the impossible. And even though the chimera was fighting to keep his eyes open, he instinctively sought out Liam’s hand. Holding fast. Eyes full of pain and regret.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s okay.’ Liam said, ‘You did it. You save him.’

He smiled. Theo searched his face for a split second, like he was trying to understand. Or find a lie in Liam’s words. Then it was gone, and he forced a grin.

‘I’m rubbing off on you.’ Liam chuckled.

‘Maybe later after I get some rest.’ Theo mumbled. Liam felt his cheeks flush.

‘I’m teasing. Idiot.’ Theo huffed, squeezing Liam’s hand. ‘Though since we’re on the topic…’

‘I’m not discussing our sex life in the middle of a clearing with a giant dead chimera and the dude that just… came out of it.’ Liam said.

‘Prude.’ Theo said, eyelids fluttering.

‘It’s okay to sleep.’ Liam said. ‘I’ll watch over you.’

Theo smiled then. Simple and real, before passing out.

###

Mason tossed a few more logs onto the small fire they made at the mouth of the bunker. None of them were eager to make the drive back to Beacon Hills, and they still had no idea where to hide Alice. Or Toby. So they opted to camp out and rest while Brett and Nolan doubled back to get some food down the road. Theo was out cold as soon as he closed his eyes, and Mason had made a spot for him inside. Liam was with him now, refusing to leave the chimera’s side as he rested. Part of Mason was frustrated with his best friend who threw himself into the entire mess without a second thought. Sure it was to save someone, but that someone was Theo. Mason still remembered the anguish the chimera had caused his friends. Though judging from what Theo had just done, maybe it was time to reconsider. At least a little.

Alice and Toby were huddled together under a blanket from one of the cars. Corey had a spare pair of sweat pants in his bag that he lent to the man. Tobias looked around Theo’s age. Maybe slightly older or younger. It was hard to tell. He was similar to Corey in build, but even skinner. It was hard to imagine such a small guy as a giant monster with claws and fangs. Mason frowned. Or maybe it wasn’t.

After everything with the Dread Doctors, he’d resolved never to speak of it again. The time he had a different name. The people he killed. Ripped apart. Who could he talk to about it? No one would understand him. A quick thought of Theo flashed in his mind. No one he wanted to talk to at least. Corey was off the table. He was worried enough about his own existence, his family. Mason couldn’t heap this on him. This dark secret. All the feelings he kept locked up tight—tighter than he ever had before because werewolves were very good at sniffing around. Finding things out. The little that he’d let slip in the car to Liam was more than he’d ever meant to even acknowledge himself.

Toby… Toby had been a monster. Just like him. Forced into it by the same people that had turned him into the Beast. Was Toby an experiment then? And Mason was the final result? He didn’t like the idea. Didn’t like the notion that there were other people before him that had suffered the same way, or worse. Just so he could be turned into a tool for murder and carnage. It wasn’t like Mason thought all chimeras were bad. He knew they weren’t. Corey couldn’t even pull off a fake evil laugh at Halloween. Hayden wasn’t evil. An asshole sometimes, but what teenager wasn’t? Theo was… trying. He had to admit that much. The thing with Gabe had surprised him more than the others. Mason didn’t tell anyone about the tunnel. About Theo trying to take pain and the reason why he failed. It haunted him in the days that followed—to have someone that he didn’t trust reach out like that to help him. Like he was beginning to understand and not just perform actions to ingratiate himself to the pack.

Then the hospital. And the aftermath. The more Mason thought about it, the less room for deception there was. How had Theo gone from being unable to taking an ally’s pain, to taking the pain from someone who had tried to kill him? Kill them all. It was baffling. But it wasn’t the kind of thing that Theo could fake. And the way he looked at Liam… That felt real, too. As much as it angered the part of him that wanted to hate Theo for what he did. For letting them turn him into a monster.

‘You okay?’ Corey’s touch was soft and his voice was gentle. Mason smiled as soon as he saw the young chimera. He didn’t even think about it—it was impossible not to smile when Corey was around.

Mason pulled his boyfriend close and Corey wrapped his arms around him.

‘Is it… Was it seeing that? Did it upset you?’ Corey whispered.

‘What? No. Why would it upset me?’ Mason tried to laugh it off. Corey held him tighter.

‘I hear you at night.’ He said. ‘You talk in your sleep sometimes.’

Mason felt his throat constrict. He stared into the flames in front of him.

‘What do I say?’

Corey buried his head into the spot between Mason’s shoulder and neck. His breath was hot. Mason felt himself relaxing despite the cold pit forming in his stomach.

‘I’m always here. Okay?’ Corey said. Mason nodded. He reached out and took Corey’s hand in his own. Mason wasn’t sure how he’d ended up with the chimera. The first time he’d seen Corey there was this feeling. Like he was a magnet and couldn’t help but get closer to the other boy. Like Corey had some sort of magic power. Liam thought it was hilarious. And the fumbling attempts at asking him out still make Mason cringe in embarrassment. After everything they’d been through, they were still together.

Mason leaned over and gave Corey a kiss, earning a sound of approval from the boy.

‘Stop fratalizing.’ Nolan said with a smile as he walked up the hill, arms full of junk food.

‘It’s fraternizing.’ Mason said. ‘And you’re just jealous you're not getting any from Brett.’

It was Nolan’s turn to blush.

‘I heard my name.’ Brett said, pulling an ear bud out of his ear as he climbed up behind Nolan.

‘It was nothing.’ The teenager glared at Mason, who gave a sly smile and opened his mouth. Nolan threw a sandwich at his head. Corey snatched it out of the air before it could make contact.

‘Here. Your music is weird.’ Brett handed the mp3 player back to Nolan.

‘It’s not weird!’ 

‘I didn’t say weird was a bad thing.’ Brett smiled and dumped his armload of food by the fire.

‘Oh.’ Nolan shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away.

‘Where’s Theo and Liam?’

‘Inside.’ Mason said.

‘Still asleep?’ Brett said, picking out a chocolate bar.

‘Yeah. Alice and Toby, too.’ Corey said.

The sound of the crackling fire filled the air as they ate. Mulling over everything.

‘What now?’ Nolan asked.

‘You mean what’s our next move to avoid three murder-death-kill alphas and their packs that want to wipe us all out for doing the exact thing that we’re not supposed to be doing?’ Mason struggled to open a small pack of gummy candies.

‘Yes, that.’

‘Well, I know one thing. We’re not leaving anyone behind.’ Brett said.

‘You mean the chimeras.’

Brett nodded. 

‘I don’t care what the alphas say—none of this is their fault. Chimeras didn’t ask to be playthings for evil science experiments. We need to protect them.’ 

‘We should wait for Liam before deciding.’ Mason said.

‘You think he’ll have a different take? Anyway, it’s not like he’s our alpha.’ Brett muttered.

‘Dude. I know you saw.’ Mason said.

‘It doesn’t mean anything.’ Brett said.

‘What’re you talking about?’ Nolan asked.

‘When Liam broke the door to the bunker. For a minute his eyes were red.’

‘Like Scott’s.’ Nolan frowned. Mason nodded.

‘So he’s… an alpha? How does that work?’ Nolan ate around the crusts of his sandwich.

‘Alphas pass their power on to a beta. Or if you kill one, you can steal an alpha’s power.’ Mason said, ‘But some, like Scott, they turn into alphas by… willing it I guess.’

‘They ascend.’ Brett said, ‘A beta can ascend to the power by sheer force of will. Or other ways. But it always takes conviction. And strong emotion of some kind. Rage. Sorrow. Love.’

‘Do all werewolves turn into alphas?’ Nolan asked.

‘No.’ Brett said. He got up and walked off into the forest. Nolan bit his lip.

‘Was that like, offensive to ask?’

‘Nolan… Monroe and the other hunters, they killed Brett’s alpha. She didn’t fight at all.’ Mason said.

‘What? Why?’

‘Satomi’s pack were buddhists. I guess maybe she saw it as breaking a cycle. I’m not sure.’ Mason offered.

Nolan stood up, unsure if he should follow the tall werewolf into the darkness. He wavered, then sank back to the ground. The last thing Brett needed was a reminder of the people that murdered his pack. His family. Instead he crossed his arms over his knees and watched the fire burn. Everything was tangled up inside. And Nolan wished more than anything he could just tug on a string and have it all come loose and free. Except when was life ever that easy?

###

Brett wandered down to the clearing. The giant chain was still laying on the ground along with the huge carcass. Of Toby? His old body? Brett wasn’t entirely sure. The whole thing had been pretty messed up to watch. Though it did remind him about when Satomi spoke about born werewolves evolving. Or growing. Changing, like how Derek had. And maybe his mother before him. The ability to take on a full wolf form was something that Brett saw as having a lot of uses, though he was still unclear on the process or path that it took to get there.

Maybe Theo had triggered something similar for Toby, and this was some sort of chimera evolution? None of it made sense and as far as he was concerned it didn’t matter that much in the long run. What mattered was they needed a safe place to hide Alice and Toby. And to sort through all the information they’d gathered on the Dread Doctors.

Brett rubbed his eyes and sighed. When did he start caring so much about Scott McCall’s rag tag puppy pack? And when had he started to include himself in their crazy plans. he could just turn and go. An omega on his own. Find a different pack. Be happy.

Except, what was out there that he was going to find that wasn’t already in front of him? Running away didn’t make any sense. For better or worse, this was his home now. This was his pack. Liam and his inability to follow though or think before acting (though he’d been showing improvement), Theo with all the trouble he’d caused (also improving), Mason and Corey with their… togetherness. Two more chimeras that were no doubt trouble. And Nolan.

Nolan. Who Brett wanted to hate so badly. To blame for everything. But he couldn’t. In fact, when he looked at the human all his anger melted away into something else. Which infuriated him more. Because he should be angry. Should be furious. Out for blood. Instead he was here. Helping a gaggle of idiots try and pull off something so monumentally stupid it had no chance of succeeding. Brett remembered then why he’d gone out of his way to avoid Scott and the rest of his pack. They were always in the middle of whatever insanity the nemeton drew out of the shadows.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up suddenly. He wasn’t alone. And whoever it was had their eyes on him, even though he was masking his scent and sounds. He kept his heartbeat steady as he scanned the darkness. There was more than one of them—he could tell from the sounds coming from different directions.

He turned, claws sliding out. He’d take one or two of them down, look for the next opportunity to escape, and run back to the others. But before he could open his mouth to snarl, red eyes were in front of him. There was something about them that struck him in the core of himself—freezing him in place.

###

Liam fought to stay awake. Theo was sleeping on his shoulder. It had long gone numb with the chimera’s weight. He was surprised how strong the instinct to protect Theo was—he even felt the urge to growl at pack members that came to check on him. Thankfully he didn’t. Brett would have a wild time with that bit of information. Instead he remained at Theo’s side as he slept. And now his own eyelids were starting to feel heavy.

‘Mmhm.’ Theo stirred, jolting Liam awake. The chimera yawned and stretched before resting his cheek against Liam’s chest again. The beta found himself stroking Theo’s hair. It was a lot softer than he remembered.

‘How’s he?’ Theo mumbled.

‘Toby’s sleeping. I think they woke up to eat, so they’re probably fine. How do you feel?’ 

‘Like shit.’

Liam chuckled. 

‘Promise me you’ll never do something that stupid and risky again.’ Liam said.

‘And let you do all the stupid, risky stuff? Not happening, Dunbar.’ Theo grunted as Liam jabbed him in the ribs.

‘I’m surprised it’s so quiet.’ Theo said. Liam strained his ears—Theo was right. It was very quiet. Mason was supposed to be on lookout for the next hour or so before Nolan took over. But Liam couldn’t hear anything except the fire.

‘Stay here.’ He said, easing Theo down. The chimera struggled to his feet, following a few paces behind Liam. They got to the door of the bunker where the fire flickered, slowly dying with no one to tend to it. There were no signs of the others.

In the distance, a howl tore through the air. Liam felt his hackles raise—Brett was in trouble.

‘Stop!’ Theo hissed, grabbing his arm. He pointed to Toby and Alice, both hovering nearby with frightened looks.

‘It’s a trap.’

‘I don’t care.’ Liam said, ‘I can’t leave him again!’

Liam tore himself from Theo’s grasp and bolted into the forest.

‘Shit.’ Theo glanced at the other two chimeras. They watched him for a signal. For a cue as to what they should do next. Theo thought about telling them to stay put, but thinking back that never turned out to be a good idea.

‘C’mon!’ He said, running after Liam into the darkness. Alice and Toby were close behind.

Theo did his best to keep up with Liam but the fraction of a second the beta had in front of him combined with the reduced visibility of all the trees made it difficult. He lost Liam after a few minutes of pursuit, cursing his stupid mate.

Luck was on his side—he saw the others before they saw him. Silvery figures moving through the forest. A distinct smell carried to him on the wind. Olivia. Enemy. She’d been watching them, then. The whole time, probably. And now they had Liam and the others.

Before Theo could dart out towards the big wolves digging through the forest a strong hand stopped him. He snarled—a look of shock followed as a rock-hard fist knocked the air out of him. A woman looked back at him, her dark hair in a long braid. Behind her Alice and Toby hovered. She pressed her finger to her lips and looked at Olivia and her pack in the moonlight.

‘Come with me.’ Theo sucked in a breath. Not an enemy. But there was no way he’d leave Liam—

‘Come, quickly! All of you!’ The woman hissed.

‘How do I know—‘ He stopped when she turned, eyes blooming into a deep red. 

‘Your mate is safe.’ She said. ‘But we won’t be much longer.’

Theo nodded his agreement and waved to the other chimeras as she disappeared into the underbrush. He wasn’t sure who she was, or if they could trust her. But he knew one thing—if they got to wherever she led them and Liam wasn’t there, she would pay in blood.

###


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack is separated and struggles to find each other as Olivia and her pack attempt to capture and kill them all. Help comes from an unexpected source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might seems scattered and crazy. I'm pretty sure it always does. 
> 
> Also, theres some gory details? Not extreme but they're there. And there's some killing (of original char do not fear!). Swearing. Ummmm... some other language use that I probably have done a bad job at conjugating but... still learning. As for what they're saying, well that will be clear in the next chapter. ;)
> 
> Things go...crazy. I feel like that should be the summary for every chapter.

The woods were dark, even with improved night vision. Liam struggled to get free, but he was held tight. The two large figures carrying him were taking him farther away from Brett’s howls. When the sound died down, Liam panicked. The red eyes of an alpha met his and he found himself calming slightly. The scent was powerful. Earthy and reminding him of dead leaves in the fall. He fought to stay alert and aware. A soft whisper came with the intense red filling his vision.

_‘Ketuksi.’_

And Liam slept.

###

His head felt foggy as his vision came into focus. It felt like everything in his head was scrambled, but Liam could grasp enough scents and sounds to figure out he was still in the forest somewhere. When he tried to sit up he came face to face with a large, white wolf. It watched him with careful eyes as he repositioned himself and looked around. He couldn’t see Theo or the others—there was only a small fire, the wolf, and thick trees all around them.

‘Theo? Brett?’ Liam called out. His voice echoed, and the wolf growled. Liam frowned. He didn’t have time for this. Whoever took him was an alpha. There was no way they would leave him unguarded. Which meant the wolf was probably a full-shift, ready to pounce on him the moment he stood up.

He could out run it. For sure. He had to find Theo no matter what. Find all of them. There was a gap in the trees he could fit through with some effort—too small for the wolf to follow. That would buy him a bit of time if he played it right.

Liam stood slowly, the wolf watching him with a disinterested expression. Liam gathered up all of his resolve and bolted though the trees. He winced as his shoulder caught on the narrow space between the solid trunks. He pushed forward, dislocating it and slipping free. 

He didn’t look back. He pushed as fast as his feet would take him away from the clearing, away from whoever was trying to separate him from Theo. He didn’t see the sudden drop, or the hill that it belonged to.

Liam kept his arms up as he tumbled, trying to protect his face from the branches and rocks that he rolled into. A sharp pain told him a bone had broken somewhere inside, and he yelped when he finally came to a stop in a patch of thick torn bushes. His chest heaved as his body struggled to heal the damaged he’d inadvertently caused. As he sat up he got even more tangled in the thorns, cursing as he tried to get free.

The white wolf from earlier trotted over, tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth as if it was smiling. It sat on its haunches and let out a loud howl.

‘Shhhh! Shut up!’ Liam hissed. Before he could react a young woman sat in the place of the wolf, laughing at him.

‘Who are you? Where’s Theo!?’ Liam got to his feet at stepped toward her, doing his best job to be menacing. Instead he fell back into the thorns, getting tangled all over again.

‘Your mate is safe, city wolf.’ She watched Liam struggled with an amused expression.

‘How do I know… you’re not lying?’ Each thorn he removed invited three more. It was like some spiky octopus had grabbed ahold of him. Finally he roared and slashed them into bits. He carved a way out and collapsed onto the hard ground. The woman snorted.

After Liam caught his breath he leapt to his feet, ready to fight. If his life had been normal he’d probably be embarrassed to see a naked woman in the middle of the forest, reclining like she had no cares or qualms. But Liam was more than accustomed to Malia taking off into the woods after a freakout and emerging stark naked. Modesty was something that werewolves lost fairly quickly. Most of the time.

‘Why did you kidnap me?’ 

‘That wasn’t me, little brother. My sister was the one that insisted on plucking you out of danger and into my lap.’

‘Well where is she? Who are you? Where’s Theo?!’

‘ _Jena’si._ Calm down. I’m Malien. Mali. My sister is Pipukwes. She went to find the rest of your howl.’

‘My what?’

‘Your pack.’

‘So… you’re not with Olivia?’

Mali’s face broke into a huge grin as she started to laugh. She wiped tears away and nodded to herself as she looked Liam over.

‘You’re very funny. I would keep you if I could. It’s good to have someone around with a sense of humour. The rest of my family is very… serious.’ She sighed.

A deep howl rang in the distance.

‘Come on.’ She turned back to Liam.

‘What? Where?’

She looked at him like he was stupid. ‘Didn’t you hear him?’

‘I cant… speak wolf?’

Mali rolled her eyes. Her form flowed from human to wolf in the span of a single heart beat, taking Liam’s breath away. The wolf’s red eyes glinted in the dark and she wagged her tail. Beckoning him to follow.

Liam wasn’t entirely sure he could trust her. Though either way it would have been easy to kill him while he was unconscious. And she hadn’t tied him up at all, which meant she really didn’t care if he got away or not. Theo might be with her sister, if that was a real story. He’d follow her to find his mate, and if it turned out to be a lie he could always run away. Except this time he’d look out for cliffs.

###

Nolan’s head hurt. He opened his eyes, or tried to anyway. One was sealed shut by something gooey. The sharp throbbing pain coming from his forehead told him it was probably blood.

There was a foot next to his. Covered in mud. He craned his neck, ignoring the sharp pain of protest as it twisted. Mason was on the floor beside him, Corey was nowhere to be seen. Brett and Liam and the chimera candidates were gone, too.

Nolan winced as he got to his feet. He barely remembered what happened—the forest. Brett running. Werewolves everywhere, then darkness. Was it Monroe? No, that made no sense. That was just his fear getting the best of him. His mind jumped around, trying to find something to hold on to. Nolan closed his eyes and thought back to the training he’d started with Argent. Lessons no one was supposed to know about, that had smoothed out the rough edges of what Monroe and Gerard indoctrinated him into.

He found the words. It took him awhile to memorize them. _Nous protégèons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes._ Argent’s daughter had spoken them, and with guidance Nolan had taken them to heart. A cornerstone to rebuild on. To make things right. Or a chance to at least.

Nolan exhaled and let his mind settle. He could do this. He had to—there was no one else with them that could get them out of whatever situation they were in. Mason might be able to help if he could wake him up, and keep him calm. It seemed likely they were tossed in a spare room because they were human and posed no threat. That was something Argent had hammered home (both of them)—that supernaturals often underestimated humans. And right now being overlooked was the best thing Nolan had going for survival.

The room was small. Large tiles on the floor. Cement walls. Metal door. Storage of some kind, or an abounded building. The odd shaped upper ledge looked kind of like it was made to hold water, and there were spaces for faucets, but they’d been removed. The small window that was giving all the light didn’t look big enough to fit through, and it looked like it was covered in frost. Probably for privacy. Nolan wouldn’t be surprised if it had mesh wire embedded into it. Two wooden crates rested opposite them. Neither one was open. He definitely needed help.

‘Mason. Wake up.’ Nolan whispered. He knew werewolves could hear them if they were listening, but he needed to take the chance and assume that they’d been over confidant in assuming a firmly locked door would hold them.

Mason moaned as he woke up. Nolan could see the realization of what happened snap into focus as Mason sat up.

‘Corey!’

‘Do you remember what happened?’

‘Brett ran off. We were going to help. I went to get Liam and Theo, but there were other werewolves. They took him! We have to find Corey!’ Mason scrambled to his feet.

Nolan grabbed him by the shoulders and held him still.

‘Calm down! Mason! You gotta calm down, okay?’ Nolan gently released his friend as Mason gave a nod. He started to look around the room.

‘Are you okay? Anything hurt?’ Nolan asked.

‘Head hurts, but that’s probably normal when a guy with super strength knocks you out. Where are we, anyway? Where are the others?’

‘Dunno. I think it was the alpha that Brett mentioned. Olivia. Maybe they were following us.’

‘She has Corey. We have to save him.’

‘There’s no way out.’

‘Nolan—this is the alpha that wants to murder all of the chimeras. Including Corey!’

‘Well what should we do?!’ Nolan pushed his hair back.

‘Sorry.’ He mumbled. It was important to stay calm. What would Argent do here? Look over every inch of the room. Look at what they had on them. Maybe there was something they could use to get out. Save Corey and Brett. Was the born wolf okay? Was he even captured, or was it just him and Mason? There was no time to mull over the possibilities—the longer they waited the worse the situation got.

‘What are you doing?’ Mason watched Nolan feel along the edges of the wall to the small window in the corner.

‘Looking for a way out.’

‘Was escaping a small room 101 part of hunter training?’

Nolan ignored him. He hadn’t spoken much with Mason, and he knew there was still a lot of resentment. Especially after what he’d done to Liam in the classroom at the height of it all. Liam had forgiven him. Probably. Mostly. But Mason was the one that, for all his intelligence, held a grudge tight.

‘Help me with this.’ Nolan tried to move one of the large crates along the wall to the window. Mason joined in and they managed to move it a few inches. Whatever was inside was heavy. The side of the box was covered with strange characters.

‘Is that some sort of werewolf language?’

‘Dude. It’s Cyrilic.’ 

Nolan blinked.

‘Based on early Greek? From the First Bulgarian Empire?’

‘So, no?’

‘It’s Russian.’

‘Oh. Can you read it?’

‘No!’

‘Fine! I just wanted to know what was inside.’

‘Nolan, they’re not going to leave prisoners in an un-guarded room with a crate of anything remotely useful.’

‘Just help me open the damn thing.’ Nolan wished they had a pry bar. There was a bit of space near the top, covered in cobwebs. Nolan cleared them away and pushed his fingers in to lift it. The nails groaned. Whoever left the crate there had left it a long time ago.

‘I think it’s budging.’ He waved Mason over. Together they pulled as hard as possible. The lid groaned louder, not wanting to move. Nolan strained. Together they gave one last yank and managed to get a corner of the lid free.

Mason fell backwards, sweat pouring off him. Nolan helped him up and they looked inside the crate.

‘It’s… cleaning stuff?’ Nolan looked at the canister.

‘I think this place was like an old Turkish bathhouse or something.’ Mason said. They hauled out the cleaning supplies, looking them over when a scream of pain came from outside the door, deep in the building.

‘Corey! That’s Corey!’ Mason slammed his fist against the metal door. Another scream echoed. Nolan bit his lip—as much as it hurt to hear the blood-chilling scream from down the hall somewhere, it hurt even more to see Mason banging on the door in desperation. The screams stopped, leaving a fading echo.

‘Mason!’ Nolan dragged him away. Mason’s eyes found him and Nolan released him immediately. His fear must have been clear on his face, because Mason softened slightly.

‘It’ll be okay.’ Nolan said, ‘We’ll get out of here and save him. Brett too!’

‘How?!’

‘I don’t know! We just have to think—‘ Nolan’s words drifted. Mason was standing in front of the door, muscles in his jaw so tight Nolan thought they were going to snap. Corey’s screams echoed down the hall.

Mason roared. Nolan flinched—the sound was enormous. Louder than when he’d heard Scott roar. Different from when Liam did it. There was something else in the sound. Tearing. Pain. Anguish and rage all rolled into one.

Nolan turned away as Mason smashed through the metal door. Glass and iron went flying. By the time Nolan turns around, Mason was gone. But the sound of him was not.

‘Shit, shit, shit!’

Nolan could hear the fighting—the snarling and the feet on the floor as Mason engaged their captors. The astonishment wore off after a second and Argent’s voice in his head snapped him back into focus. 

He looked out the hall in the direction of the fighting. There were two bodies on the floor, torn to shreds. Gashes running up the length of one. Nolan fought the urge to look away—survival depended on this.

He grabbed a piece of wood on the ground—not a great defence against werewolves with weapons but better than nothing. There was a loud roar in Mason’s direction as he did… whatever he was doing. Nolan knew a bit about what happened to Mason. But the full story had escaped him, and it seemed like it was something no one wanted to talk about. He thought about asking Theo, but whatever happened with Mason didn’t seem to warm him to talking. It was something to deal with later. After they dealt with the werewolves keeping them captive and saved Corey and Brett.

He saw the gun a second later and grabbed it—doing a quick assessment and check of the chamber. Loaded and lethal. The sounds down the hall became more urgent. Nolan jumped as a hand closed around his leg. The second werewolf looked up at him with yellow eyes. He aimed and squeezed the trigger. A feeling of relief came immediately, followed by shame and guilt. So many of the people he loved were werewolves and he’d just…

There was no time now. Corey was in trouble and Brett probably was, too. Nolan sprinted, turning several corners and stepping over two more bodies as he chased down Mason.

The winding corridors hadn’t slowed Mason down at all. He could smell them—every one of them. He knew where they were hiding, he knew what they were. It didn’t matter. They were hurting Corey and they would all pay for it. Nothing else mattered.

The first two that came at him were surprised—barely putting up resistance. The rest of them caught the scent in the air. He knew they were afraid, knew that they were going to lash out at him. Futile. He took them down in seconds until he came to the room where they had Corey. Where they were hurting him. One swift kick and it unhinged.

He spotted Corey at the far end of the room, hanging from the ceiling by a chain. The scent of blood. Pain. They were torturing him. Laughing. They were monsters. Mason roared, letting the rage surge through his veins.

They came at him all at once—fangs and claws at the ready. The first one he crushed. The second he ripped open. The rest were a blur as they tried to circle him, get him into a corner. That was fine. It made it easier to reach them and he didn’t have to move.

He smelled Nolan before the human arrived. A part of him wanted to turn and swipe at the intruder, but he pushed it away. Nolan was a friend. He would never hurt a friend. The werewolf in front of him lunged, sensing his distraction. Mason swatted her out of the air and sent her flying. The last one rushed him. Bigger than the rest. A fighter. A hunter.

Mason grabbed his arm and squeezed, crushing the bones in his hands. The wolf snarled at him as it tried to get away.

‘Mason!’ Nolan yelled as the other wolf raised a gun. It didn’t matter. She got off a few rounds and Mason dropped the hunter to pick up the metal door. He threw it at her, ending the threat.

The hunter smiled, body leaning slightly back. Mason’s instincts told him the hunter was going for Corey. To kill him. As the hunter’s feet left the ground, body turning towards the wounded chimera, Mason snatched him out of the air. The hunter snapped at him and struggled. Claws raked along Mason’s torso, wounds closing as soon as they were opened. He twisted as hard as he could, letting the werewolf’s body fall to the floor. No one would stop him. He’d tear through every one of them if he had to.

‘Mason?’ Nolan looked concerned. Frightened. ‘Why are your eyes like that?’

The thing inside of him cried out for blood. Mason forced it down again, surprised as it drove him to his knees. The bloodlust was almost overwhelming. Is this what Liam dealt with every full moon? What all of them endured to keep hold of their humanity? It was like trying to squeeze a tidal wave into a jar. One that definitely didn’t want to be bottled up again.

‘Help Corey.’ Mason managed to spit out. Nolan nodded and ran to the chimera, getting him down from the chains holding him up. He got Corey to a chair and set him down. He was healing slowly, eyes opening as Nolan freed his wrists.

‘Mason…’ Corey’s voice was weak. It made Nolan wince. Corey was usually so meek. Happy and warm. To see him like this…

‘He’s right over there.’

Corey shot to his feet and lurched towards Mason.

‘Stay back!’ Mason growled. Corey shook free of Nolan’s grip and stumbled to his boyfriend’s side. Mason turned away. Corey’s skiing hands caught his cheek and brought their heads together. Mason had been afraid of hurting him, but the feel of his skin, the way he smelled… everything. It settled him. Grounded him.

Nolan watched as they sat together—Mason’s eyes were gradually fading from the blazing silver they’d been since he busted the door. Back to normal. That was something Nolan had never seen before. But the world was always throwing something new at them.

Mason grabbed Corey’s arm and held him tight. He looked at the bodies surrounding them. Bodies he’d torn apart without a second thought, just like before.

‘Don’t.’ Corey whispered.

Mason looked at him, worried.

‘I know… you have things you don’t tell me. Things you think I don’t know. I know it’s hard and it sucks, but don’t regret this. Don’t regret saving me.’

‘Never.’ Mason felt like his heart was being squeezed. Words turned to dust, and there was only him and Corey. The one who didn’t hesitate. Who didn’t look away from the blood and carnage, who embraced him fully.

‘Where’s Brett?’ Nolan looked around the room. There was one door that led outside, nothing else.

‘They took him. Dunno where.’ Corey said, ‘He fought.’

Nolan spotted the shirt in a pile by the door. The one Brett was wearing, torn and covered in blood. He thought of the scar on Brett’s chest—the psychological wounds that were needed to make a scar stay on a werewolf were enormous. Scars he’d helped cause. Now Brett was gone, maybe in the woods. Running from his own kind much like he’d run from Monroe and Gerard. Even with better training it was something Nolan had failed to prevent.

‘Where’re you going?’ Corey asked as he got Mason to his feet.

‘To find him.’

‘Nolan, do you even know how to use that?’ Mason looked at the gun in the human’s hands. The look in Nolan’s eyes was all the answer he needed.

‘Wait. Just… wait a second. Let me get my bearings. We can track him.’ Mason said. It was a lie, at least as far as he was concerned. The sharp smells he’d been able to pick up a moment ago were gone along with everything else.

Nolan paused for a minute—Corey was still healing, and Mason looked shaky at best. They’d only get hurt, and he had more combat training than both of them combined.

‘Stay here.’ He slipped out the door.

‘Nolan!’ Mason yelled, wincing as his body protested the sudden movement. It felt like someone had worked him over with a meat tenderizer.

‘We have to go after him.’

‘You can barely stand.’

‘We can’t just let him go off on his own!’ Mason managed to stand.

‘Stop.’ Corey pushed him into a seat. ‘Rest for a minute, then we’ll go after him. Okay?’

Mason wanted to protest but his body refused to move. He gave Corey a reluctant nod. Nolan would have to hold on a little while on his own, at least until they could follow. He hoped nothing bad would happen. Except it already had. In fact, there was something bad inside of him. Alive. Waiting for its chance.

Mason closed his eyes. It wouldn’t happen again. If it did… if he got out of control, Liam and the others would stop him one way or another.

###

He ran. He ran as fast as he could, not because he was afraid, but because he needed to find the others and warn them. If they hadn’t already been captured. Brett stopped to catch his breath. He wasn’t sure how many of them were following him now. After he’d goaded them into dragging him outside he’d managed to take one of them down. There were at least two others when he’ bolted into the woods, but more might have followed.

Instinct told him to howl. To call to his back. Except there was no one that could hear him—the others, if they’d been taken as well, were probably locked up somewhere. Or worse. And Corey, they were intent on eking out every drop of pain they could from him. His screams tore Brett apart inside. Each one was a thorn, bringing with it pain and the memory of Lori’s face. Her smile. Gone. He needed to take care of the werewolves following him, circle back, and free Corey before it was too late. There was no way he’d stand by anymore and do nothing like Satomi had. He wouldn’t lose anyone else, even if it meant taking on Olivia one-on-one.

Brett kept low to the ground and made his way back in the direction he came. It was possible he’d be able to slip by—the forest was thick, but the shifting wind made it difficult to his his position. Every now and again he caught the scent of his pursuers but it was too faint to source their numbers or position. They must be catching his scent as well. He was too worked up to try and mask it. Too weak. An angry thought rose from inside—this was just like before. Just like when he’d gotten Lori killed. When Monroe poisoned him. Except the ending would be very different.

If he could get a leg up on them and corral them into a spot where he had the advantage, maybe he could confront them. Or at least take them out one at a time. Separating a pack was a difficult thing to do, but Brett had to try.

He was very still. As daylight faded and they searched for him, he held position. His gamble paid off when one of them came close. An older male. The one that had shoved him out the door. Brett had tried for the man’s throat on the second slash but missed. Werewolves were tough. It was important to hit vital areas fast and with a large amount of damage to cause a kill, or healing negated pretty much all efforts. Even a well-placed shot from a gun could take one out. Something the Argents knew, though when Monroe was exploiting that knowledge she leaned more to the sheer amount of bullets from fear-rallied citizens as opposed to trained shooters.

Brett lowered himself. The leaves and grass and mud helped mask the most of his scent, and self control did the rest. When the older wolf was nearly on top of him, he sprang free, claws out. One hand went into the man’s jaw. The other sank into his jugular. Not deep enough. Brett snarled and pushed his hand as hard as he could until he felt the man go limp. He threw the body on the ground—there were a dozen other scents on the man, but only two others were fresh.

He knew he should feel bad about killing. That Scott would not approve. Liam either. But they’d never faced the things that he had. They never had to make that choice, or had others to make it for them. When the choice fell to Satomi, she committed to non-action. Something pure and noble, at least on the surface. In reality, it was selfish. Ideals over the lives of others. The ones she had sworn to protect, as if their lives had less worth than human ones. But that had been Satomi’s baggage. That they had been cursed. That their nature was reprehensible. As Brett wiped the blood from his hands he wasn’t sure she’d been wrong on that point, but he knew that at least he wasn’t going to choose wrong and fail his pack.

Brett put as much distance between himself and the body as possible. He didn’t hide it. He needed them to find it. Mourn. Get angry. Something he’d prodded Liam into time and time again. Blind anger meant they were off balance, at least in one way. As long as they didn’t catch him his plan would work.

The river opened up into a ravine, and the crumbling remains of an old train bridge a few hundred feet above towered over it. The running water and concrete pillars made it a better place for an ambush. After he found it he doubled back, cutting open his arm to leave a trail of blood they could follow, but not too easily. As he approached the ravine again the howl that echoed through the forest told him they’d found the body. He tore off part of his pant leg and tossed it at the bottom of the bridge.

Brett crouched down and waited. It was only a matter of time now. He made sure to climb as high as he could on the pillar that was the strongest. He’d have one shot, which meant going all out.

They lingered at the edge of the river, trying to catch his scent. As soon as they did they ran right into his trap. The first one was smaller. Younger. Enraged. The second was angry, too. But slightly more cautious. It would be easier to take out the smaller one first but that would leave him fighting the more experienced wolf, and in a fight experience could be deadly. And from the way she was hanging back, Brett guessed she had to be pretty experienced. The distance between them left him no choice—if he waited too long they’d either find him or move on. He didn’t have time to try again, not with Corey hanging there.

Brett pushed his claws out as far as they would go and dropped to the younger wolf. The impact alone was enough to break several bones—his and the other’s. A quick slash to the throat ended it painlessly. The other wolf was on him immediately, making a gamble in a single attack while he was off guard. Brett turned to jump out of her way, only to ram into the pillar behind him. He’d miscalculated his leap. Too close to the structure. He could see the rage in her eyes as claws came down. At least he’d gone out fighting, unlike his alpha.

The shots were loud and close, nearly deafening him. Brett watched as the wolf’s body fell into the shallow river. He turned, heart racing. Nolan stood at the edge of the trees, gun aimed at the space his attacker was in only moments ago. There was a determined look on his face. Brett was surprised to see a sharp edge to the soft demeanour, though he knew it was there. Hidden inside. And now turned against the ones that were about to kill him.

‘Are you okay?’ Nolan ran to him. Battle forgotten. Training out the window.

‘I—‘ He didn’t get to finish because Nolan had kissed him. Lip to lip, hands cradling his jaw, pressed against him kissed. Worry and fear and love all rolled into one gesture. Brett grabbed Nolan as he pulled away and brought him close for another kiss. This wasn’t only adrenaline, or the het of the moment. That was there, but there was something else that they’d both been carrying around. Unable to untangle. Now it was laid bare for both of them and Nolan hugged the tall werewolf to him.

‘Corey—‘

‘He’s okay. Mason saved him.’

‘Mason?’

‘He went… he transformed. Kind of.’

‘And Liam and Theo? The other chimeras?’

Nolan shook his head, ‘I don’t know.’

‘We have to find them.’ Brett said, he turned towards the forest. Nolan pulled him back.

‘I’m sorry.’ Words he’d managed before, but ones that only filled him with uncertainty. They were different now. Spontaneous. Springing up from inside without a thought or calculated motivation.

Brett wrapped his arms around the young hunter. Nolan was his, and he was Nolan’s. They were pack. All of them. As much as Brett had struggled against the idea. As much as he resented Scott McCall meddling in his life, drawing him into this mess, it was something Brett knew was true, more than anything else in his life. He had a pack, and he would die to defend it.

###

‘You are such a pain.’ Pipukwes watched Theo struggle against the ropes. She’d been sure to tie them tight after Theo tried to run for the fifth time. Things had gotten confusing the night before. They’d been tracking the chimera and his friends for a few days. Except they hadn’t been the only ones. Olivia made her move a lot sooner than expected, and in the resulting chaos they’d only managed to grab a few of the young pack they were meant to be keeping out of harm.

Theo was the worst of them, of course.

The chimera glared at her. The gag was the only thing keeping the peace currently. That and the rope. It was an odd way of showing appreciation—trying to knock people out and run away when they were guarding your life. She had to leave Mali behind with the scrappy one, and left the rest of the howl to carry the chimeras out of the forest and back to their temporary home away from home. Which she hated. Granted the forests in this place were beautiful in their own way, they were not the ones she grew up in. With the young pack in their hands she hoped they could finally return, as soon as they dealt with their problems.

Theo struggled against his bonds again. Pipukwes knew better than to loosen them, no matter how much he protested. The first time he’d called out to his mate non-stop. The second time he’d actually bit her. Which almost made her laugh. Except there was no time for that. Laughing. She was annoyed it was taking so long to rally the others and get them in one place. Really, how much trouble could city-wolves give them? _Aklasie’w_ ones at that. 

She huffed as one of her howl brothers emerged from the forest, red eyes giving him away. Tuma, judging from his size and the extra scruffy mane. The wolf dragged a figure into the clearing. A girl with an eyepatch. Scent told Pipukwes this one was a chimera. A moment later Spencer stumbled in, chatting with a boy. Another chimera.

‘Why isn’t he bound?’ She watched as they came to a sharp stop in the clearing.

‘Why would I tie him? He’s chill.’ Spencer. The youngest. Always vying for the position of most annoying with Malien.

‘You had specific orders—‘ Pipukwes snarled when the boy rolled his eyes.

‘ _Jiksetui!_ Being the youngest is no excuse. What if this one had been dangerous like the one before, at the mill?’

‘But he’s not! I like him.’

Tuma stretched his arms, loosening the muscles of his human body. He helped the girl to her feet.

‘They’re not dangerous _nsi’s_. Look at them. They’re scared.’

‘Theo!’ Alice ran towards the chimera. Toby joined her. They spoke in whispers no doubt comparing what had happened in the forest.

‘Why is that one tied up?’ Tuma asked as he looked through a book bag for clothes.

‘ _Ala na ni’kmaq_. But he’s definitely trouble.’ She said.

‘Makes sense then!’ Spencer smiled.

‘ _Mu kelpilatl. Nujj wkaiutit._ ’ Tuma pulled on the last of his clothes.

‘He won’t be angry.’ Or maybe he would. Pipukwes sighed and went to Theo, shooing the other away. When they refused to budge she took them by the shoulders and moved them effortlessly. _Aklasie’w_ wolves were annoying. Chimeras more so.

She flicked out a claw and cut through Theo’s bonds, leaving his hands free to take out the gag.

‘Where’s Liam? And Nolan? And the others?!’ Theo got to his feet on the second attempt.

‘Safe. Well, your mate is at least. The others…’ She turned to her brothers. They shrugged.

‘We’re not sure about them. Olivia may have gotten to them before us.’

‘And who is us?’

‘We are the howl of the black night.’ She said.

‘You’re freaking them out.’ Spencer said.

‘I’m answering his questions.’

‘You’re doing that annoying cryptic thing.’

‘You handle it then.’

‘Fine.’ He said before turning to Theo, ‘We’ve been following you for days. Dad knew you would do something stupid. Turns out Olivia was also keeping an eye on you and when you… did whatever happened back there to this guy, well, she didn’t like that.’

‘Who… you’re with Sakej?’

‘See? He’s not stupid.’ Spencer looked at Tuma. The other wolf looked unconvinced.

‘Where’s Liam? What do you mean Olivia might have gotten to them?’ Theo snarled. It was bad enough he’d lost Liam in the forest, but when he’d lost the others he was sure they’d been killed. But if Alice and Toby were alive, and Liam was safe… the others had to be okay as well. They were smart. Strong. Well, combined they were. There was no way Olivia had gotten the drop on all of them.

‘Calm down, little brother. If they’re out there, we’ll find them.’ Tuma said.

‘Okay. Alright. This has been nice, but we’re leaving now.’ Theo said, backing out of the clearing. None of the strange werewolves made a move to stop him.

The hand was heavy on his shoulder. He turned to see Sakej looking down at him, annoyed that the old man was slightly taller.

‘We meet again.’

‘We’re just leaving.’

‘To find your friends.’

‘We can’t just sit here! If they’re in danger I’ll find them.’ Theo said. Sakej gave him a big smile. He looked at the others and nodded to them. Theo frowned—did they think he was joking.

‘We won’t stop you, but your mate is on his way back. Escorted by one of us.’

‘And my friends?’

‘Seem to have gone through an ordeal of their own. But they’re safe for now. Olivia tipped her hand a little too early to have a big advantage.’ Sakej said.

‘What do you want with us?’ Theo asked. The last time he’d seen the old werewolf he’d been in a circle with his life hanging in the balance as the other alphas debated the extermination of all chimeras.

‘To fulfill our duty, of course.’ Pipukwes said. Theo snarled. That was it then—they were all being brought to the slaughter. Sakej had pretty much admitted to killing chimeras himself before. Now they were going to kill Liam and the others just for helping them.

‘I’ll hold them off. Run.’ Theo said.

Sakej’s laugh dispelled the tension entirely. Theo blinked in confusion, claws and fangs at the ready. He looked at Pipukwes.

‘He reminds me of you when you were young.’ She rolled her eyes.

‘I don’t understand.’ Theo said, none of them made any moves that were threatening. In fact, they seemed almost bored.

‘That much is clear.’ Tuma mumbled. Spencer elbowed him in the side.

‘You’re not going to kills us?’

Sakej gave him a gentle smile.

‘Kill you? No. We’ve been looking for you, Theo. For a very long time.’

###


End file.
